New Revalations
by Z-wine
Summary: Luna Inverse is summoned to Zephilia by the Eternal Queen to investigate a double assassination. Already having her hands full with another investigation, Luna suggests another canidate for the task, her own dear sister Lina Inverse. Two years after TRY
1. Chapter 1

"Cepheid Knight, I've summoned you here today due to the dire circumstances that have befallen the great Kingdom of Zephilia." the Eternal Queen stated bluntly.

"Two members of _my_ royal council have been slain and this is UNACCEPTABLE. In the entire history of this Kingdom, no assassin or spy has managed to infiltrate these royal gates until now and I require ANSWERS." she exclaimed obviously flustered and struggling to maintain her composure.

"I understand your highness, but I'm already leading an investigation of my own at this time for another matter completely. Rumors of a dangerous ancient relic from the Resurrection War have been spreading, and Cepheid is troubled. I apologize, but if the rumors turn out to be true, then the entire world may be in danger. This possible threat has top priority, and investigating the matter you have brought to my attention as well would stretch me much too thinly to handle something of this importance properly."

"Well what do you propose I do about this situation then?" the Eternal Queen asked, visibly strained. "This matter is too important to assign the task to anyone with lesser ability than yours. And on top of that, I would prefer not to bring a non-Zephilian in on this case. Word of this breach in security must be kept from potential enemies of this Kingdom at all costs, you do understand."

"Yes, of course your highness." "I already have a suitable replacement in mind." the warrior said with a wry smile. "My dear sister is Zephilian through and through."

"I was afraid you'd say that." the Eternal Queen moaned, lowering her head and placing her fingers on her temples to massage them.

The servant closest to her re-doubled his fanning efforts worriedly.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ooohh...hown..." Lina moaned miserably while flopping back in her chair dejectedly. "Someone actually went and did it." "The only reason that they'd request for me to come alone HAS to be for security reasons." the sorceress said to herself with an agitated rustle of her crimson mane.

"I'm all for breaking records and altering the path of history, but did they have to go and do it in _my_ hometown?"

"_And what am I gonna do with Gourry?_ Lina thought.

_I can't just... tell him to wait for me here. I have no idea how long I'll be gone, or even what it is exactly that they want me to do... The message was pretty vague_. The redhead pondered as she studied the magical communication device absently.

"That jellyfish brain would wander off for sure, and it'd take forever to find him again." the Lina blurted audibly.

"Let's see... Seyruun boarders Zephilia..."

_But if I try and drop off Gourry there, Amelia will start asking all kinds of question and try and get involved." _she countered.

"Sometimes there's just no stopping the girl." Lina said quietly with obvious affection for the priestess.

"Maybe Sairaag...Its way out of the way, but I'm sure Sylphiel could use an extra hand there."

_She's really got her hands full leading the project to repair all of the damage that was caused by first Copy Rezo and then Phibrizzo during those two huge battles... Besides, Gourry loves manual labor anyway... and maybe while he's there he'll catch a clue about how Sylphiel feels about him... As much as she's been through it'll be nice to see her happy for once, and she's always happy when Gourry's around._

_That'll keep Gourry occupied and in one place so I don't have to go and find him after I've dealt with this. _The redhead thought to herself.

"Yeah that'll work!" she exclaimed, casting a modified version of the Fireball spell to destroy the magical device as requested. With that, Lina headed out of her inn room to meet Gourry for dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

"So we've gotta make a stop to the Kingdom of Zephilia for something, right Lina?" Gourry asked in between barely chewed mouthfuls of steak.

"Not '_we_' Gourry, '_me_'." Lina re-explained to the swordsman savant. "You can't come with me this time, it's something that I have to take care of alone." she said gesturing at him with a shish-ka-bob of various smoked meats and veggies.

"But, Lina can't Zerphima make an exception? I am your protector after all." Gourry asked while reaching for the next plate of food.

The redhead twitched visibly at the butcher of her homeland's name before answering. "_Zephila_ is a _place_ not a _person_, and no... there can't be any exceptions this time, Gourry. The summons came from the Queen of Zephila and... my sister." Lina finished with a shiver.

"Oh, you mean the one that even you're scared of Lina?" Gourry asked reaching for Lina's plate.

"Mono Volt." Lina said nonchalantly.

"Huh...?" "Arrrrrrgghhhh!" Gourry exclaimed as Lina placed her hand on his, electrocuting him.

"One and the same Gourry, which means that there's absolutely no room for argument." she finally answered to the steaming, crackling pile of swordsman savant now lying on the floor.

"Anyway, the way I see it... we can just stop by Sairraag first and talk to Sylphiel." she continued now helping herself to Gourry's food.

"Yeah, It'd be great to have some more of her great cooki -- _hey, I didn't even take any of yours Lina_!" Gourry exclaimed picking himself up off of the ground.

"No, but you tried." Lina shot back. "Anyway, you'll probably have plenty of time to enjoy Sylphiel's cooking, because I want you to stay in Sairraag with her until I get this thing taken care of in Zephilia, or at least find out exactly what's going on there." Lina continued thoughtfully as she finished her meal.

"OH, _now _I _see_!" Gourry practically shouted, smacking a fist into his open palm in enlightenment. "You want me to stay in one place so that you can come get me after you're done in Zephilia with the summering thing!"

"Now you're catching on Gourry!" the sorceress exclaimed standing up from the table and stretching. "Anyway, we set out first thing in the morning so let's try and get some sleep." the redhead said with a yawn.


	4. Chapter 4

_So this is the great Kingdom of Zephilia._ She thought to herself while removing the black wig that she was wearing. "I still can't get over how easy that was. How can a kingdom with such frail defenses actually be known as impenetrable up until now?" she wondered with a shake of her hair.

Formerly restricted, a mane of platinum colored hair fell around her back and shoulders. The locks of platinum were only occasionally interrupted with sparse streaks of crimson.

_Everyone relies so heavily on magic here; I even sense it on some of the most trivial things. And the guards and everyone else fell for some of the simplest tricks in my arsenal that night._ She pondered glancing out the window in the direction of the still heavily patrolled castle.

_Smoke and mirrors, cloak and daggers._ she sighed quietly to herself.

_Either way, I've been here almost an entire week now, with no further orders of the kind._ The assassin brooded while applying her face paint remover.

_And on top of that, I'm out of this. _She thought, giving the empty container of chocolate colored face paint an irritated look before tossing it onto her traveling kit to dispose of later.

_Staying here looking like this would just be foolish_. She continued to herself washing off the face paint in the basin before looking up to survey her blue skin and stunning half elven features critically in the mirror. The woman blinked a lavender eye reflexively as a drop of water made it's way down her face and into it… "I do have the tendency to stand out in a crowd." she added audibly with a smirk.

_I'll leave tonight by cover of dark._


	5. Chapter 5

"GOU-RRY, I _said _that was _MINE_!" Lina shouted as she kicked the chair out from underneath her blond companion, causing him to reflexively release the pilfered roast he'd been holding as he crashed to the floor. 

Sylphiel merely watched the two in silence, sweat-dropping. _Gourry dear and Miss Lina haven't changed at all..._

"Anyway, as I was saying before, I need to head to Zephilia to take care of some business." the sorceress continued, after snatching the formally airborne roast out of the air and taking a huge bite of it. "I can't have anyone with me when I go this time, so I'm going to drop Gourry off here for awhile. OK Sylphiel?" 

"Oh of course it would be wonderful to have dear Gourry around again Miss Lina, but what is this all about? You aren't in some kind of... trouble again are you Lina?" the shrine maiden asked with a concerned look. _If Miss Lina has been summoned and the Knight of Ceiphied is already there..._

"You didn't say anything about there being any trouble, Lina." Gourry interjected. "If that's the case then I should definitely come along." he finished with a serious tone as he set his chair back up to it former upright position. "I can't be your guardian if I'm not there." he added matter of factly. 

"Oh come on guys, it's nothing like that." Lina replied around a mouthful of roast. "Zephilia is just one of those Kingdoms that doesn't like to air it's dirty laundry for everyone to see is all." she added waving her hand dismissively. 

_I can already tell that Sylphiel isn't going to stop asking questions…_ the redhead thought to herself. _She's already gotten an idea of how serious this could turn out to be and if she keeps this up, Gourry will too. _

_Damn, and I really wanted to sleep in a real bed before hitting the road again too. _she brooded to herself. 

"Well, thanks for the food Sylphiel; I'll see you guys later!" Lina said as she stood up abruptly from the table. 

"Oh... Miss Lin..." Sylphiel trailed off quietly. _She doesn't want to worry Gourry dear, I suppose..._

"_Lina_, you're leaving right _now_??" Gourry exclaimed. 

"That's right, the sooner I leave the sooner I get back!" Lina replied, giving him her trademark Lina Inverse wink. 

"Take care of Gourry for me while I'm gone, OK Sylphiel?" she called over her shoulder through the doorway. "Ray Wing!" and with that, the sorceress flew off toward the already setting sun. 

"Miss Lina..." the shrine maiden said quietly. 

"LINAAAA!" Gourry shouted. 

"Don't worry Gourry, I'll be fine!" Lina shouted back to him before picking up her flight speed. _I hate to do this to the poor guy, but it's just the way it's gotta be for now._


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey you! Don't just walk away when I'm talking to ya!" the burly bandit drawled at the black hooded figure blatantly ignoring him. "This is a robbery bitch..!" he added angrily. "_Fine_, have it your way!" he roared charging the hooded figure from behind, a poorly kept broad sword raised high.

_Don't the people over here have anything better to do with their lives?_ She wondered, snapping her blades out of their odd sheaths with a barely noticeable motion.

As the bandit neared, the assassin merely side stepped with a backhanded spin, slicing him neatly at the base of his skull and simultaneously removing his coin pouch with one fluid motion. She was already on her way again before the bandit's own momentum allowed his corpse to even completely touch the ground.

_Hum, it's heavier than it sounded._ She mused as she studied the beaten up pouch.

_Well, I'm still not used to the currency around here yet i suppose. I'll get it down soon enough_. She thought to herself, shrugging carelessly.

_Either way, according to the map that merchant was trying to sell me...the town that I'm headed to should be just a few days travel down this road._

After going over the image of the map one last time in her mind, the half elf quickened her pace in the direction of the obscure mountain town known only as "The Gauntlet" to so many bandits and thieves this side of the barrier.


	7. Chapter 7

_It's been a long time since I've been on the road alone._ Lina brooded to herself as she walked along the dirt path with her hands clasped behind her head.

_It sucks worse than what I remembered actually. Where's a random bandit gang attack to break the boredom when you need one anyway?_

"Oh, well." she sighed audibly. "I've walked long enough to get some stamina back, and that fish from earlier really hit the spot too, time to take to the air again. I've really been pushing myself pretty hard to make good time, but it's definitely not a good thing to keep my sister waiting...Ray Wing!"

_At this rate it'll still take a couple of days to get to Zephilia..._ Lina pondered doing a lazy loop as she sped through the air, her red tresses and cape trailing behind her.

_I'm pretty sure I've got at least a decent idea of what this summons is all about... But what I don't get is how it could have possibly been done with the person getting away completely undetected. There has to be someone in on this from the inside that gave the assassin information on this for the operation to have run so smoothly._ The sorceress deducted.

She swooped down lower and brushed her hands across the top of a few of the taller trees absently as she considered the situation further.

_It had to have been a one man job; I really don't see how more than one person could have squeezed past all the security, magical alarms, and traps so easily --Did I just hear voices?_ Lina asked interrupting her thoughts and slowing her flight speed dramatically.

_This is area isn't commonly traveled at all._ the redhead thought to herself as she doubled back, dropping altitude and flying in the direction of the voices more slowly.

_Probably a bandit attack... looks like I might get a little action after all and a fatter coin purse too!_


	8. Chapter 8

"OK blue wench, you can see yer completely surrounded. Just hand over the goods and _maybe _we'll let ya live." the Bandit boss said with a laugh.

_Blue wench, that's original_. the half elf thought to herself dryly, as she scanned the positioning and postures of the bandit group silently.

_There are 5 others behind me, it sounds like._ She continued while studying her visible opponents with a bored expression on her face -- _What the _hell_ was _that

_Something or someone with some serious magical kick just shot by..._ she thought barely stifling the urge to reach for her weapons prematurely as well as break eye contact with the Bandit boss still addressing her.

"Don't just stand there, didn't you hear what I just said?" the leader of the gang shouted at her, brandishing his long sword. "This is a shake down, so drop your loot on the ground unless you want to get hurt!"

_This is getting very old. _The assassin thought to herself with more than a little agitation.

_And whatever that was is backtracking in this direction now. I've never felt anything like this before, my skin feels like its on fire..._ She thought feverishly while stifling a gasp and struggling to keep her facade of disinterested composure up.

She closed her eyes and folded her arms in a feigned display of rudeness and dismissal as her in-fared vision fired involuntarily in response to the growing intensity of the magical energy, blinding her temporarily in the brilliance of broad daylight.

_Well now, it looks like this fight just turned interesting." _the assassin thought to herself with a smirk.

"Does _anyone_ on this side of the barrier actually have a _real _job?" she asked the Bandit boss pointedly.

"Step aside if you value your life at all." she added dryly, opening her eyes a slit to see if her eyesight had returned at least partially.

_More than enough to fight these imbeciles._ she thought to herself once again resisting the urge to turn and look in the direction that the stifling magic energy barrage was coming from.

As if on cue, the Bandit boss bellowed for his men to attack, angered by the half elf's display of arrogance.

"Smoke and mirrors, cloak and daggers." she whispered, concentrating on her words to dull the burning sensation of her skin as well as help her focus on the sound of several pairs of approaching footsteps.


	9. Chapter 9

_What's going on here?_ Lina wondered as she landed on a large tree limb quietly to survey the situation without being too easily noticed.

_Some chick surrounded by a bandit gang huh? Looks like only 10 of them; I don't see any stragglers hiding in the bushes anywhere. What's she doing all the way out here by herself anyway?_ The redhead wondered as she made note of the women's traveling attire and appearance.

_I'd say from her features that she's half elven but, I've never seen or heard of a race of elves with blue skin before...Either way, she's no typical warrior or even a mercenary from what I can tell based on her armor --_

After nearly face faulting out of the tree due to a smart ass remark about the work ethics of people on this side of the barrier from the mysterious women, Lina regained her balance and continued to watch the events happening with growing interest.

_Sure does get to the point doesn't she?_ The sorceress thought to herself, sweat-dropping and scratching the back of her head.

_Time to see what outer barrier girl's got._

The nine bandits approached first stalking and then charging as the Bandit boss stood back jeering. Suddenly the cloaked women produced two small daggers and flung them with ruthless accuracy, one lodging itself in a charging bandit's eye and the other in the hollow of the no longer jeering Bandit bosses' throat.

As soon as her hands released the daggers, she yanked her hands back and down towards her blades, snapping them out of their sheaths while simultaneously side stepping the now one eyed bandit and shoving him into the path of the attackers behind her. Now completely out of control, the unfortunate bandit stumbled and fell impaling himself on the blade of a distracted companion taking him down as well with the force of the impact.

Continuing to spin with the momentum she began when she turned to shove the previous bandit past her into flanking enemies, the half elf dropped down with one hand on the ground and the other extended outwards performing something that looked like a modified sweep attack. This display soon turned into what Lina could only think to describe as a bladed tornado as the mysterious woman's attacks picked up speed, parrying and countering attacks with blinding and frightening accuracy.

The clash of steel on steel almost sounds like one continuous sound... I can barely follow her movements at all..." Lina thought gawking at the spectacle.

_This chick is bad news... But the fighting is kind of... beautiful in a horrible way. Like a dance of death or something. Still, as interesting as it is to watch... I'd rather be doing the butt kicking myself._

The fight was over in a matter of seconds and the mysterious women didn't even seem to be winded. Lina was in the process of working up the nerve to say something against her better judgment when, suddenly the half elf turned to took directly at her.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as cool lavender colored eyes met and locked with blazing ruby ones.

_She already knew I was watching the fight...? I... I guess she caught a glimpse of me in the tree while she was doing all of that flashy acrobatic stuff._

_Oh well, mine as well say something to her now..._

"Hey, you're not too shabby!" Lina exclaimed, giving her crimson hair a careless toss before jumping down from her perch and landing with a dramatic flip.

_The energy is coming directly from her...?_ The assassin thought with amazement.

_It's getting hard to think straight._ _The burning sensation doesn't seem to be centered on my skin anymore, now it's different and feels like it's coursing directly through my body..._

"Help yourself to the spoils, I have all that I care to carry." the mysterious women said as she turned to leave.

Lina glanced over at the scene of carnage doubtfully.

_Pretty messy... they'd probably haunt me or something. Most of those guys where dead before they even hit the ground..._

"Nah, I'll pass, picking through fresh gore isn't really my – "

_Hey, she's just walking away! _

"So what's someone of your profession doing this far away from home anyway?" Lina called after her coyly.

_What did she just say? What exactly does she mean by my 'profession'..? _The assassin wondered bringing herself to a complete halt.

Against her better judgment Lina closed the distance between the two of them once again.

_It's not like I'm not already in striking distance as fast as she moves._

_It'd sure be nice to have Gourry to back me up just incase anything happens, but I'm a big girl... I can handle myself._

"You're pretty good, so it's _obvious_ you aren't traveling around scrounging for work." the redhead continued.

The half elf turned to Lina, studying her carefully before responding. "It's only natural to be curious about an area that was completely inaccessible so short of a period of time ago." she replied.

_She's got a point there. I was just taking shots in the dark anyway really, but there's definitely more to this girl than meets the eye._ The sorceress pondered, giving the mysterious woman another once-over now that she had a chance for a closer look.

"Either way, I really must get going." the mysterious woman said while turning to leave again.

"Hey hold up a sec, I didn't catch your name!" the redhead called after her. "My name's Lina, Lina Inverse!"

_Lina the pink, that explains a lot. I've read about her. I feel like I'm about to pass out, need to get away from here... away from her._ The assassin thought to herself feverishly as her eyes switched over to heat vision once again against her will, effectively blinding her once more.

"Just call me Katibree." the half elf replied before turning to leave again.

_I hope I'm walking in the right direction, I can't see a thing..." she thought to herself._

_Katibree huh? That's pretty._

_Not exactly the response that I was expecting though_. Lina thought dejectedly

_I guess she hasn't heard of me...Still, I can't shake off the feeling that we're going to be crossing paths again really soon._

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then Katibree." "Ray Wing!" And with that the sorceress was off like a shot. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Katibree had turned around once again and was watching her departure. Smiling with some satisfaction, Lina showed off with a few spins and loops before picking up speed in the direction of Zephilia.

Katibree stood there watching until Lina was completely out of sight before she staggered off to the side of the road, leaning up against a tree and then slowly sliding down it with a deep shuddering sigh.

The sensation coursing through her body was fading, but leaving an after effect that was starting to feel oddly...

_Sensual? What the hell's that all about?_ "I don't need this shit." The assassin said to herself out loud.


	10. Chapter 10

"Lina Inverse, thank you for arriving here on such short notice." The Eternal Queen said. "I have a task that I require you to perform, as the Cepheid Knight is predisposed at the moment with another matter."

_Great, playing stand-in for Luna again._ The sorceress thought to herself gloomily. The redhead merely folded her arms, and nodded her head in affirmation, not trusting herself to respond verbally without spouting off with one snide comment or another.

"The reason that I have requested for you to come alone is purely for security reasons you do understand."

Lina nodded once again in response to the Queen's question.

"Two members of my high council have been assassinated and no-one thus far has been able to provide me with even one legitimate suspect to be questioned in this case." The Eternal Queen continued.

Lina did her best to stifle a yawn while feigning interest in what the Queen had to say. _Tell me something I haven't already figured out lady._ She thought to herself, bored.

"In closing, I wish for you to head the investigation and get to the bottom of this situation." The Eternal Queen finished.

"I understand, and I'm assuming there aren't any living witnesses to any of this?" Lina asked. "Someone who may have caught at-least a fleeting glance of the assassin?"

"No one. Even the elite sentries guarding the quarters of the council members where slain without a struggle" The Queen added dejectedly.

_Some elite sentries... jeez._

"And nothing was detected by the magical scrying devices around the grounds either?" The sorceress asked, trying her best to keep her dry, I've-already-figured-this-out-tone at bay.

The Matriarch simply shook her head in response.

"Alright, well, where are the bodies then? I may be able to get something to go on by taking a look at them." Lina added, after receiving a strange expression from the Queen.

"I'm sorry, but they were burned during the funeral ceremony as is the Zephilian custom." the Eternal Queen replied sheepishly.

_You have GOT to be KIDDING me! No WONDER these guys aren't having any luck in their investigation of this incident! They're completely incompetent! _The redhead fumed to herself silently.

"Fine, the bodies didn't just... get up, walk off, and prepare _themselves_ for the funeral..." Lina began, unable to keep her sarcasm in check any longer.

"So can you have someone sent to talk to me who's gotten a good look at the bodies' at-least?" she finished, gritting her teeth with the effort of remaining somewhat polite.

"Yes, that can indeed be arranged." The dictator of Zephilia affirmed, seemingly completely oblivious of Lina's sarcasm. "Until this matter has been settled, I shall grant you full access to the castle and its facilities. Your quarters are being prepared as we speak." The Queen added.

_Full access? Royal cuisine here I come!!_ Lina thought to herself, her grin showing a single fang.

"Well, I'd better get going on this whole investigation thing then, your highness!" Lina exclaimed hurriedly.

"Very well, Ms. Inverse.Oh, and Lina the Pink...?" the Zephilian dictator added.

Lina turned around, balking at the use of the unwanted title she'd acquired at the Sorcerers Guild so many years ago. "Yes your highness?" the redhead asked, grimacing slightly as she turned back around.

"Try your best not to... destroy anything too costly during your say here..."

"Eh, heh, heh... right." Lina replied blushing profusely before turning once again to make a B-line for the royal dining area.

_Argh, couldn't the Sorcerers Guild have assigned me a less embarrassing color? _Lina brooded to herself as she made her way out of the throne room.

_Jeez, there's Tarim the Violet, Damia the Blue, Halcyform the White... and then me... Lina the Pink._

"Hoooownnn I _hate_ that _title_!" the sorceress exclaimed out-loud to no-one in particular. "Oh well, I'm sure some free royal cuisine will make me feel better!" she added cheerfully.

Before long Lina was peering into one the castles many enormous kitchens and gesturing to the first chef she saw enthusiastically. "You guys wouldn't happen to have any dragon cuisine close to being ready within the next few days now would you?" the redhead asked the bewildered chef, a cat with the cream expression on her face.


	11. Chapter 11

_The Gauntlet, haven for thieves and brigands. I wonder what the black market has to offer here? _Katibree thought to herself as she surveyed the rundown, dreary surroundings.

She watched as a gang fight was brought to its brutal conclusion in the middle of the street off in the distance. The remaining gang members walking off casually, leaving their adversaries bloodied, beaten, and in plain sight.

_You'd think the economy here would be in absolute shambles, yet I see Inns, Taverns, and Shops lining the streets. I'm impressed._ She mused to herself as she turned down a interesting looking side street that looked less run down than most.

"No fair Rza, it's my turn to play with it!" A little girl shouted.

"Too bad, I found it so I say who gets to play with it and when!" The older boy shouted back at her over his shoulder, running with what looked like a wooden figurine in his hands

_Children, here??_ the assassin thought to herself in dismay as she turned her head in the direction of the voices.

The boy, not paying attention to where he was going, ran directly into Katibree with a grunt. First staggering and then falling backwards, landing soundly on his butt while releasing the figurine reflexively.

The assassin caught the figurine, and after glancing at it a moment helped the boy up handing the toy back to him.

The boy brushed some shaggy silver colored hair from his eyes to get a better look at her. "Uhm... thanks miss!" he managed before running off again with the younger girl, cutting into a nearby alley.

_They're pretty good_. the half elf thought to herself with a smirk before following after them.

_I can remember trying to survive on the streets at around their age, but at-least I had some protection from my guild, no matter how small it may have been at the time. It looks look those two are completely on their own._

She peered around the corner of the alley to observe them further.

"Did you get it?" the younger girl whispered eagerly.

"Yeah, I put it in my pocket... but I don't _see_ it..." the boy replied, searching his over-sided pants pockets in frustration.

"Well if it's not _there_, then _where_ is it? Don't _tell_ me you dropped it Rza." the girl added in disbelief. "We can't keep _stealing_ food all the time, if we get caught --"

"Don't be _stupid_ Ino." Rza interrupted. "I woulda _heard_ it --"

"Looking for this?" Katibree interjected while giving the re-pilfered coin purse a small toss and catching it, the contents within clinking together loudly on impact.

The children spun around at the sound of her voice, both sets of blue eyes widening comically.

"Rza and Ino was it? That was a pretty good show you guys put on back there... but in the future, I'd refrain from using your actual names during your set up..." Katibree continued, giving the coin purse another careless toss and catching it once more.

"There's probably close to... I don't know 150 gold in here. Quite a score wouldn't you say?" the assassin asked them leaning against the alley wall casually.

The youngsters merely nodded at her, swallowing dryly.

"Well, why don't we make a deal then?" she proposed, pushing a rouge crimson lock behind her ear before continuing.

"Wha... what's that?" Rza stammered suspiciously, while eying her weapons.

"I'll give you this, if you promise me that you'll use some of it to get provisions, proper traveling gear, and transportation to get out of this town. This is no place for children to be on their own." the half elf stated bluntly. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Uhhh...I..." Rza stammered in indecision and disbelief.

"Say YES _stupid_!" Ino whispered, elbowing him roughly.

"Shut _up_, I'm trying to _think_!" he shot back at her. _There's gotta be some kinda catch --_

"We promise!" Ino piped up with a dutiful nod, her blond ponytail slapping Rza in the face as she hopped in front of him. "We'll get out of here and make a fresh start straight away!"

"Good girl." the assassin replied, tossing her the coin pouch and turning to walk off.

"Hey what's your name Miss?" Ino shouted after her, ignoring Rza's irritated glare.

"It's not important, It's not like you won't recognize me if you see me again." Katibree replied back never slowing her pace.

"I guess not..." Ino said quietly.

"Hey Rza, do you think that lady dyes her hair? It's got two different col -- HEY!" she exclaimed, as he took the pouch from her.

"Come on Ino, we can't just be standin' around anywhere with this!" he shot back gesturing at her to "come on" as he ran to their hideout.

_I'll shadow them for as long as it takes for them to get the supplies they need I suppose._ The half elf thought to herself.

_It's not like I have anything else to do as long as headquarters doesn't contact me, and carrying around that amount of gold in this town is basically asking to be mugged._

With that, she made her way to the roof tops of the town and backtracked to tail the two children undetected.


	12. Chapter 12

"Mmmmmm, this is SO _good_!" Lina exclaimed practically laying on top of the massive table while shoveling mouthful after mouthful of whatever food happened to be closest to her into her mouth. "I can hardly decide what to eat next!"

"N-Next?" a couple of royal chefs sputtered simultaneously, while gawking at the spectacle before them.

"Um... Miss Inverse?" a quiet voice called from behind her. "I came at your request."

"Hum...?" the redhead managed around a mouthful of roast turkey, before turning around in her chair partially to see who was addressing her.

"Yes, my name is Relina Vincent... I was told that you wished to ask me some questions about the incident that happened the other day." "About the condition of the bodies specifically?"

"Yeah, that's right." "So what can you tell me, where you able to determine what type of weapon they were killed with at-least?" Lina asked while taking note of the young woman's attire. _Maybe a palace guard?_

"Not really, I've never seen wounds quite like them before." Relina said thoughtfully. "But, I could tell that it was a fairly slender and curved blade, and the angle of some the wounds indicated that there may be two weapons instead of one. The act was definitely not executed with anything as large or bulky as a sword." she continued.

_Now this is useful information! _Lina thought to herself approvingly.

"Anything else you can think to tell me?" the sorceress asked before taking another bite of turkey.

"Um, well the assailant was extremely skilled and very fast... out of both groups of elite sentries, only one even attempted to unsheathe their weapon." Relina replied shaking her head sorrowfully.

"Every stab hit a fatal area, most of them where likely dead before they even hit the ground." Relina finished quietly.

_That sounds familiar._ Lina thought to herself with a sigh.

_I've already got a prime suspect in mind... now all I've got to do is catch up to and find her...I really wasn't expecting to get so solid of a lead so quickly._ She thought to herself with another sigh.

"Thanks Relina, you've been a great help!" Lina exclaimed, jumping up and slapping the young woman on the back.

"Oh, are you leaving already Miss Inverse?" the young woman managed after recovering from the unexpected assault on her back.

"Yeah, I am." Lina said sighing once more. "The trail is already cold enough as it is." she explained, grabbing another drumstick for the road before walking off.

"I see." "Well, where will you go?" she called after the sorceress.

"Oh, I've got a couple of places in mind." Lina replied.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ The redhead complained to herself silently after walking the castle halls for awhile.

_All that I've done since this whole deal started is rush around and I'm sick of it! Screw it, I don't care! Tonight I'm going to take a real bath and sleep in a real bed. I'll get on the road first thing tomorrow..._

_I made it from Sairaag to here in record time, Ray Wing-ing most of the way here for that matter. I'm drained, sore, exhausted, and cranky and I haven't even been here in Zephilia for an entire day yet._

_And on top of it all… Luna isn't even here right now! Which means I nearly broke my neck trying to get here as fast as possible for NOTHING. _

_I'm taking at-least the rest of this evening for myself._

"Hey you there!" Lina called to the first servant she saw. "Have a horse and a couple of... no make that a weeks worth of previsions ready for me first thing in the morning would ya? Oh, and pack a few of the royal library's best books on the history and practices of the assassin profession too!"

_I can go over those while I'm on the road._

"Right away Lina the Pink." the servant replied hurrying off.

"Would you --! ARGH!" Lina sputtered before storming off towards her quarters without saying another word.

The servant who'd turned around at the redhead's sudden outburst, stared after her a moment in confusion before continuing with the tasks set before her.

After making it to the room that had been prepared for her, the still seething sorceress made her way to her private bathtub stripping off items of clothing as she went. Turning on the faucet, she stood in front of the full length mirror nude and gave herself an once-over as the tub filled.

_Nope, still haven't gotten any bigger..._she thought while giving her perky breasts a slight squeeze and turning around slowly to get a better look at the complete package the mirror was displaying for her.

This had pretty much become a ritual for her before bathing over the years.

"Well, deciding to leave tomorrow instead will give me more of a chance to think at-least." she said quietly to herself, while leaning over to turn off the faucet.

_I remember what she looks like clearly, and if she's responsible for this... She's going to want to stay as low profile as possible._ The redhead thought to herself as she eased herself down into the steaming water with a lavish sigh.

_That might explain why she was in such a hurry to get going when we meet the other day... and why she was traveling on such an under used road crawling with bandits._ _The fact that she was traveling away from Zephilia doesn't help her case either... The way I see it, she probably laid low until security around the city loosened up and then hit the road._

Letting that train of thought digest for awhile, Lina leaned back in the tub closing her eyes and placing one arm behind her head. With her free arm, she lifted her hand out of the water and snapped her fingers igniting several of the scented candles placed around the luxurious bathtub.

_Either way, I'm almost certain she's not lying about being from the outer barrier. Assassin or not, if she were from around here, I would have heard about someone sporting her appearance and combat skills a long time ago._

_And she's still on this side of the barrier most likely, because when I met her she was traveling in the opposite direction of all the ports that ship to the outer barrier area..._

"That most likely means that she has something else left to do, or is awaiting more orders from her superiors." Lina said to herself while stretching. "Which means she needs a place to lay low again." she finished thoughtfully.

_And the only place that a blue skinned, platinum and redheaded assassin is going to be able to really go without too terribly much interest drawn to her is 'The Gauntlet'. They don't care about much of anything there._ She finished while reaching for the assortment of fancy scented soaps.

"Life just got a whole lot more interesting it looks like."


	13. Chapter 13

_They call this a weeks worth of rations? Hum, maybe I should have asked for two weeks worth instead. _Lina mused to herself as she hoisted herself back up on the mount that had been prepared for her the night before. She had stopped just long enough to grab a quick snack out of the previsions and fill her water skin at a nearby stream, but still hadn't decided on a suitable spot to make camp for the night.

_Oh well, if I skimp on eating some, it should last me the two days or so that it'll take me to get to "The Gauntlet" I guess. I really don't want to take the time to fish while I'm on her trail. This way I can just set up camp, eat, read some, and go straight to bed afterwards. _

_If I'm lucky, I should be able to catch her after having only been in town a few days and still fairly unfamiliar with it. She wasn't taking the most direct routes there because she wanted to keep a low profile, so that means that me taking the most direct route there on horse back should catch me up to her pretty quickly. But, the problem is, what am I going to do once I get there and actually confront her… _Lina spurred the horse into a gallop as she thought about the situation further, while scanning for a suitable clearing to set up camp in.

_Having to leave Gourry behind is causing more complications than I'd ever imagined…I'm no slouch with a sword, but if it comes down to a straight up fight with this chick and she actually manages to get close enough to me to where I have to defend myself with my short sword… _"I don't think that things would end very well." She finished audibly.

_For one thing, Sairaag is way too far away from here to go and get him before I head to "The Gauntlet". By the time I got back to where I need to be, I might not be able to find this "Katibree's" trail at all. And that means I'm definitely going to have to do this without Gourry in the equation. _"So without Gourry, the smartest thing for me to do would be to try and find the best way to keep this from turning into a straight up fight to begin with…"

_So, how do I do that? _The redhead mulled this last question over for a couple of moments, while taking a hand off of the reigns and leaning forward slightly to pat the now trotting steed on the side of its well muscled neck.

"What do you think big guy?" she asked the horse. "Should I try the Amelia tactic you think?" "Just find the tallest thing around to stand on and give a justice speech until she agrees to give up her villainous ways and come quietly?"

The mount tossed its head and snorted as if in rebuttal of her idea.

Lina chuckled to herself quietly, as her thoughts took her back to some of the Seyruun princesses' past antics in their adventures together.

"Yeah, I don't think that'll work either."

_Well, she's obviously a professional assassin if she's managed to pull this job off without a hitch. And if she's from the outer barrier, then this is more than likely not a personal vendetta on her part. She's just doing her job… so the real question would be who hired her I guess. Just going after her would be like… cutting a weed off at the steam and leaving the roots to thrive, the more that I think about it. _

_Maybe I'll just try and convince her to hand over the name of her employer in exchange for a pardon or something…_

"But still… there's no guarantee that she'll even go for that." "What then?" _Then we fight, of course. _She answered herself mentally. _There's no way I'm going home completely empty handed, that's for sure. Luna dumped this whole deal in my lap, so that means I'm basically representing __**her**__ and not myself…_

_In a straight up fight… I'd definitely need to reduce her mobility. Spells like Flare arrow and Freeze arrow will probably be practically useless against her. And depending on how far way she is, a Fireball may take too long to cast._

_I don't think trying to trap her with an earth spirit attack will work either… She'd probably feel that the ground was becoming unstable and just get out of the way._

_Fine, OK. What about outer barrier girl's weaknesses?_

_I can tell that she hasn't been on this side of the barrier very long at all. That means that she's probably just tangled with bandits for the most part and maybe a low end caster or two…_

_Most direct attacks don't seem like they'll work as things stand so far, so what about indirect attacks --? _Lina broke off her current train of thought, suddenly spotting an acceptable looking clearing to set up camp at and steering her mount in that direction.

_What was it that Xellos said to me once? "Sometimes simple plans are best?" This chick seems to enjoy being as efficient as possible while she's fighting. So if she doesn't like to waste moves…_She took a moment to secure her mount to a nearby tree before continuing her train of thought.

_Then she should ignore attacks from opponents that she views as inaccurate, not even bothering to dodge them at all… so if I fling a Shadow Snap at her shadow, she probably won't even bother to move... _

_And based on what I know about her background, she won't have a clue as to how countering the spell goes… Provided she evens knows what it is to begin with. _

_I think that's pretty solid…" _I'll just make the rest up as I go along I guess." Lina finished to herself as she went about gathering her firewood for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

_Still no word from headquarters. _Katibree thought to herself while lounging on a nearby rooftop and observing the children from afar as they shopped. _On the upside… I've already made back the gold pieces that I handed over to the kids by dealing with the scum that has been trying to mug them over the last couple of days… But they're pretty much done with everything and will be headed out of town within the next couple of hours most likely. _The assassin sighed to herself and moved around trying to find a more comfortable position on the rooftop.

_I guess that I can't really complain all that much. This is probably about the closest to a vacation that I've ever had, but it's doubtful that babysitting is what the guildhall had in mind when I was sent to this side of the barrier._

_How long do they expect me to wait? I don't want to disobey orders and head back to the hall without authorization. The job may not even be technically finished yet... Or there may be some type of follow up that they need me to take care of._

The half elf produced a flask of her now favorite type of wine that she'd discovered during her short time in Zephilia, taking a small sip from it as she watched the boy named Rza barter back and forth with a pack mule merchant while the younger girl named Ino scanned the rooftops with her eyes in an attempt to spot their self appointed "guardian angel." Soon enough she'd set her eyes in Katibree's general direction and began waving enthusiastically before finally turning to help Rza saddle up the newly purchased pack mules.

_She's got good eyes. _The assassin thought to herself with more than a little amusement.

_Oh, well…looks like it's time to find something else to do with my unscheduled vacation time. I'm sure they can handle themselves from here on out. _Katibree thought as she got up to leave. "Best of luck kids." She added audibly, looking back after them with some fondness before making her way down and off of the roof.

She dropped down several feet into an alley next to a tavern, startling a random thug who had been urinating there. The thug spun around in surprise releasing a sporadic stream of pee in her direction which she sidestepped with amusement. The half elf merely raised a mostly platinum eyebrow as the man snagged himself in his haste to zip up his pants and sank to his knees howling in misery.

_That has to suck. _She thought, turning with a nonchalant shrug and walking around the side of the tavern in search of the entrance.


	15. Chapter 15

_So this is the place huh? _Lina thought while dropping down off of her mount. _What a dump…_

She grabbed the rest of the mostly exhausted rations before slapping the steed on its flank, signaling it to make its way back to Zephilia on its own. _If, I try and tie him up around here… he'll just get stolen anyway. _She reasoned with herself as she surveyed the ruined town.

_Now, if I was an assassin lying low… where would I be in a town like this - - _"What the hell are children doing here?" _Well, at least it looks like they're leaving. _She mused to herself while taking note of their traveling gear. _It's not brand new, but it's in pretty good shape, the mules look healthy too..._

_That silver haired kid has urchin written all over him…I guess it's worth a shot to ask… _The redhead deducted as she walked toward them.

"Hey there!" She exclaimed waving to get their full attention.

"Yes miss?" / "Whatda ya want Lady?" they answered simultaneously, bringing their mounts to an eventual halt.

_At least one of them is polite…_

"Yeah, I was wondering if you've seen someone that I'm looking for… Uh, about this tall, dressed in black…. Blue skin…"

"Oh you mean our guardian angel!" The younger girl piped up excitedly.

"Guardian… angel." Lina repeated dejectedly.

"The silver haired boy merely covered his face with his hands in embarrassment, shaking his head quietly.

_I seriously doubt we're talking about the same person here. But how many people do you really run into with blue skin? No offence to Zel. _The sorceress added in fondness for her chimera friend.

"Yeah, she's our guardian angel, but I don't think she's gonna follow us anymore now that we're leaving town like she asked us to." The little blonde girl continued sadly.

"She asked you to leave town?" Lina asked unsure at this point what to think anymore.

"And this… "Guardian angel" that you're talking about, is her hair two different colors?"

"Yup!" the little girl exclaimed cheerfully.

"The older boy simply looked in another direction while sweat dropping.

_Well… I guess she could be stringing me along for fun… she is pretty young and kids do have quite an imagination at this age. I just can't believe we're talking about the same person. _"Alright then, what color are your "guardian angel's eyes then?" Lina asked coyly.

"Purple, can we go now lady?" the silver haired kid blurted, finally speaking up.

"That's not the right color Rza." The girl said matter of factly.

"Fine light purple, now let's go Ino." He shot back.

"It's called "lavender" dummy…" she taunted.

Lina stared at the bickering children in disbelief sweat dropping. _It's the same chick?_

"Hold on!" so why are you calling her you're guardian angel exactly? The Sorceress asked, interrupting the frivolous spat.

"Cause Rza here screwed up trying to pickpocket her and got busted…" the younger girl answered in an I'm-still-taunting-you-voice.

The older boy gave her a revenge shove, nearly knocking her from her pack mule, before continuing for her. "Yeah but she gave us the money anyway as long as we promised to use some of it to get outta town." He finished. "And we still haven't held up all of our end of the bargain yet!" he added, glaring at the younger girl meaningfully.

"Fine!" she exclaimed kicking out at him and missing, nearly losing her balance again, before signaling her pack mule to move forward once again. "Bye Miss!" she added over her shoulder.

Lina merely stared after the children blankly for a moment.

_They bought all of that stuff with the gold that she gave them? __Some__ of the gold? The redhead did some quick math in her head. And that kid still had a really fat pouch on his belt… And it'd take at least a couple of days to round up all those supplies that they had._

_They made it through a town like this, with that much gold on them for that long without getting mugged? Yeah ri - - "Guardian Angel?"_

"She PROTECTED them until they got out of TOWN??!" "Hooooowwnnnnnnn, NOW I'M TOTALLY LOST!" "What the hell kind of cold blooded killer does something like that??" she shouted stamping her foot and rustling her crimson mane in frustration.

Lina's shouting got the attention of a near by brigand who looked up in surprise.

The brigand's expression melted from one of surprise to one of sheer terror as he took in the sorceress' outfit, flaming red hair, and proportions of the figure standing before him…

He first began to back away but soon tripped and fell, scooting away on his butt and stammering incoherently with one arm outstretched in a pleading gesture.

_Hum… I guess someone finally noticed me._ Lina thought to herself, smoothing her hair after recovering from her earlier tantrum. And as if on cue, someone shouted…

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, IT'S LINA INVERSE!!!"

The rundown town, which seemed closer to a ghost town only moments ago, exploded into utter chaos. Thugs and bandits seemed to be coming out of the very walls, as they ran in every direction. An alarm could be heard blaring in the distance.

_An alarm just for me? I guess this town isn't so bad after all! _Lina thought to herself, strolling nonchalantly amidst the panic with her hands clasped behind her head. The impromptu sea of bandits parted, steering very clear of her as she walked.

_This Katibree really doesn't seem to be the type who spooks easily. Definitely not going to flush her out like this._

"Hey you!" she shouted, shadow snapping a random bandit. _Gross, this guy reeks of urine… "_I'm looking for someone, a chick with blue skin and platinum and red hair."

"The bandit cowered and pointed in the direction of a tavern."

_That was easy. _The redhead thought to herself walking off without another word.

"Hey!" the bandit shouted. "Hey, you can't just leave me here like this!" "How will I get free??"

"Your problem, not mine…" Lina called not even bothering to turn around. "Goodbye.." she added teasingly.

"Why you washboard chested little Dragon Spooker - -"

"OH HO HOOO!" Lina exclaimed charging a maximum power Fireball as she spun around smiling vindictively. "NOW you've gone and done it you little -- FIREBALL!" the sorceress exclaimed, to angry even to finish her sentence.

The run down town square literally exploded in a pillar of flames, blasting the windows out of near by establishments as criminals sprinted screaming in every direction, most now at least partially caught on fire.


	16. Chapter 16

Katibree looked up from her stein of mead as an explosion rocked the very foundations of the tavern. She turned her head to watch as the last of the taverns' consumers cleared out in a panic. _So she's here now huh? The chick can certainly get around when she wants to. I've heard that she notorious for shaking down bandit gangs… But an entire town? That doesn't make very much sense._

_And on top of that, I just met her on the road going in the complete opposite direction about a week ago. That means she hauled some serious ass back here from wherever she came from._

"Hum" she uttered into her stein of mead. _Now that I think about it, she was booking it right before we met back then too… She went by like a shot and then back tracked to check out what the commotion was all about. She's been in a hurry allot lately it seems. _

_Was she headed to the Kingdom of Zephilia..?_

_Actually I think that I remember reading something while I was researching Zephilia for the hit… Something about it being known for birthing great heroes –_

"Shit." _Her name was on the list of hometown heroes for Zephilia wasn't it…?_

The half elf set down her stein of mead as things began to fall into place in her mind.

"Fucking perrrrrrfect…" she chuckled audibly as an even closer explosion shook the windows of the tavern.

_Let's just hope these magic amulets I've been wearing since our last encounter will make being near her at least somewhat bearable. _The assassin thought to herself as she gestured to the cowering barkeep for another mead.

_It was maddening having them against my skin at first because of the strength of the enchantments on them, but I barely notice them now._

A single shaking hand rose up from behind the bar and slid Katibree a fresh mead across the length of it before once again retreating as another even closer explosion shook the tavern, blowing out a front window.

A moment later, the tavern door swung open and in strolled a carefree Lina Inverse. The scene would have looked fairly normal if not for the occasional thug running by on fire and screaming in the background…

"_Wreckage and chaos in her wake" indeed. _The assassin thought to herself, still not bothering to turn around.


	17. Chapter 17

Lina spotted the assassin immediately and made a b-line for the bar.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked the half elf coyly.

The half elf merely lifted the stein of mead to her lips with one hand and gestured for Lina to "help herself" with the other.

Needing no further invitation, the sorceress pulled a stool out from the bar and sat down directly next to the assassin, pivoting her body to face the half elf and propping her head up with an elbow on the bar.

"Wine please." Katibree said to the trembling barkeep while gesturing to Lina casually.

That same shaking hand rose up from behind the bar once more, selecting a wine from the rack and pouring a drink unsteadily.

_This guy is still here? Wow, talk about dedication. _Lina thought to herself as she observed the dutiful hand shakily place the glass of wine in front of her before retreating behind the bar once again.

"I met two of your friends on my way into town." Lina began, leaving the wine untouched.

"They were all packed up and on their way out of this dump."

The half elf merely sipped at her mead silently.

"That was really nice of you, but it's really not something that I would expect from someone who - -"

"Why don't we just skip the _foreplay_ for now, Inverse?" the assassin interjected smoothly, finally turning her head and giving her mostly platinum hair a slight flip to look at the redhead directly.

Lina's ears began to redden as the implications of the comment sunk in, but she managed to keep her embarrassment at least somewhat in check for now.

"Fine with me, I've never been very good at beating around the bush anyway." The sorceress managed, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

_God's that sounded wrong after what she just said…_She thought to herself breaking eye contact with the half elf in an attempt to regain her slipping composure as her cheeks began to burn.

Katibree cocked her head to one side slightly, struggling to keep her face expressionless. _She's blushing? She can save the world time and time again without batting an eye, but send some sexual innuendo her way and she's as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs huh? Priceless. How old is she anyway, it's kind of hard to tell…_

"Look, I know what you did in Zephilia, and I'm pretty sure that you've already guessed why I'm here." Lina began while twisting the steam of her wine glass between her forefinger and thumb absently, turning it back and forth on the surface of the bar.

"While I can't say that I really agree with your chosen profession…" the sorceress turned her attention away from the wine glass to look at Katibree directly once again. "I do understand that you were only doing your job, just like I'm doing mine right now."

"So the way I see it, we can do this one of two ways…" "One, you can just hand over the name of the person who hired you so I can deal with this mess from the root of the problem."

"And the second option?" the assassin asked lightly, lifting a mostly platinum eyebrow.

_She's not taking this seriously at all. She has to have some idea of how powerful I am by now, so how can she be so carefree about this entire thing? I don't feel like this is some elaborate ruse to get my guard down either, strangely enough._

"Do you really have to ask that, Katibree?" Lina finally answered back.

"No, I guess not." the half elf sighed with a strange smirk on her face.

"Unfortunately revealing the identities of my employers is extremely bad for business, so it seems we're stuck with option number two, Inverse."

"Looks that way." Lina agreed.

After a few moments of silence, Katibree raised her stein to the redhead in a gesture of toast and looked at her expectantly.

Lina merely blinked at her.

"The way I see things, we're just two women doing our jobs, just as you said before." "So regardless of the outcome of this once the dust settles, there shouldn't be any hard feelings." The assassin explained matter of factly.

Lina couldn't help but smile at the half elf's demeanor as she finally gave in, picking up the wine glass.

_She's definitely got some serious charisma. This would actually be pretty nice if we weren't about to try and kill each other…_

"May the best woman win?"

"May the best woman win." Lina laughed in spite of herself as she rose her own glass, touching it to the metal stein with a clink before downing the contents within it.

After downing what was left of her mead, the half elf stood, reaching into her coin purse and tossing some coin on the bar before turning to leave.

_She even tipped the guy… _Lina thought to herself in bemusement. _I'm starting to have some serious second thoughts about this entire deal now…_

"See you outside, Inverse." _- - What's that noise, like something tearing all of the sudden? _Katibree thought suddenly, coming to a halt and looking up in the direction that she'd thought the noise had come from, but not seeing anything out of the usual.

"Right." Lina replied, still lost in thought and totally unaware of the half elf's sudden alarm.

The assassin stared in confusion as what looked like a tear in mid air opened up and a large, green, clawed hand appeared through it.

"What the hell - - Watch it, Inverse!" the half elf exclaimed as she reflexively turned and tackled the startled sorceress off of her bar stool.

A red ball of energy hit where the two girls had just been, exploding on impact and vaporizing the bar, barkeep, and most of the back wall to the tavern.


	18. Chapter 18

Lina, still slightly dazed from the force of the blast and currently pinned down by 100 or so pounds of half elf not to mention several more pounds of tavern debris, did her best to scan the area for an assailant.

_Who or what was that? And why did she bother to save me..? If we're going to end up fighting anyway, wouldn't it have just been easier to let someone else do the job for her? _The redhead wondered, as she squirmed slightly under the weight of the larger woman.

"What a waste of a tip." the assassin growled to herself as she shoved some larger pieces of rubble aside while picking herself up off of the sorceress.

_Where did it go? Back in that… hole? _Katibree wondered to herself.

She walked out into the open, trying to entice the unknown opponent to attack, once again exposing itself, but to no avail.

"That was by far the rudest display of alcohol abuse that I've ever seen." The half elf called out to the thing, not even sure if it was still around.

"You should consider that the least of your worries, mortal." A disembodied voice responded tauntingly.

_That answers the question of whether it's still here at least. _The assassin thought to herself, still searching for the source of the voice.

_Oh great, a monster. _Lina sighed to herself, still watching the situation as it developed apparently unnoticed.

"Then, maybe you would be so kind as to tell me what exactly it is I should really be worried about." Katibree replied sarcastically to the disembodied voice.

"You're pathetic soul." the creature shot back at her nastily.

"Oh and why's that?" the assassin asked, feigning boredom in an attempt to stall as well as fish for more information.

"You made the mistake of turning up your nose at the generosity of the Monster race."

_Ok, I've read a little about these guys. I don't think my blades will work on this opponent then though… Maybe if I charged them up… but that still takes way to much out of me, I've only learned how to do it recently…_

"All we required was that you eliminate the sorceress Lina Inverse, and we would have rewarded you handsomely…" "A mere mortal should have jumped at such an offer and yet you had the audacity to blatantly refuse!"

_He only saw me huh? I'm sure Inverse actually turning out to be here will be a nasty little surprise for him…_

"You've got the wrong girl scales." "I'm sure I'd remember doing business with someone who has green skin and claws for hands."

"We Mazoku take many forms, however it was not you who we dealt with directly." "It was your superiors, whom we proposed our generous offer to, and them who refused the offer in your stead." "They claimed that you would not accept it, regardless of who we may be."

"Then they'd be correct." The half elf replied, shrugging carelessly.

"Keep up your bravado while you can mortal, your pathetic superiors have already been dealt with as well as the rest of your pitiful guild." "I'm only tying up the last loose end personally…" the Monster explained mockingly.

_The guild…! - - I'll deal with that later. _The assassin thought, forcing herself to focus on the current threat.

"I've heard enough." Lina said, finally stepping out from behind a downed section of wall. "All you Monsters ever do is talk about how great you are and how puny we mortals are…" "Yet, you were willing to pay one of the "pathetic" mortals that you look down so much upon to do your dirty work for you." "That sounds like quite the contradiction, Soshurn." The redhead finished as she walked over to and stood directly beside Katibree with a hand on her hip.

"You know him?" the half elf whispered

"I recognize the voice yeah." Lina replied.

"I-impossible!" Soshurn stammered. "Lina Inverse… here?!"

"Yeah, sorry to rain on your parade, Soshurn." Lina laughed while placing a hand on the back of her neck and rubbing it in mock embarrassment. "Kat here must have been blocking your view of me while you were taking your cheap shot at her!"

Katibree glanced at the sorceress in slight surprise. _What did she just call me?_ "And speaking of cheap shots, you sure are pretty cowardly for a supposed 'immortal'. The half elf added mockingly.

"What was that?!" Soshurn roared angrily.

"Yeah, ducking in and out of the astral plane while taking pop shots isn't exactly the most macho tactic." Lina teased, picking up where Katibree left off.

_Astral plane. _Katibree noted mentally. _And there's that noise again. _She thought to herself turning toward the direction of the noise. _This time it sounds like it's behind us._

Lina turned as well, gazing in the general direction that the assassin was looking.

_Does she know where he's going to - - There he is._

"If your last wishes are to see me as you die, then very well!" Soshurn roared, extending his serpent-like body out of the astral plane.

_Well, we've goaded him into showing himself. _The sorceress thought to herself. _But, what do I do now? I can tell that Kat's stalling for time… so she's probably not sure if she can take him out or not. I know that I can, but as much as we're teasing Soshurn…he's still a fairly high level monster. And on top of that, he's really good at jumping in and out of the astral plane…_

_Normal black magic won't work and I don't know any shamanist attack spells that are powerful enough to kill him. That leaves 2 spells, the Dragon Slave and the Ragna Blade… I'd have to hit him dead on with the Dragon Slave so that the beam will keep going or risk frying Kat and I as well, and the way he slips in and out of the astral plane… I really don't see that working._

_That just leaves the Ragna Blade… If he retreats to the astral plane while I'm using that, I'll definitely get him anyway. But it'll leave me mostly spent afterwards and if Kat decides that we should continue our fight after Soshurn has been dealt with - -_

"I'll exterminate you both with one shot!" the Mazoku exclaimed, extending both of his clawed hands toward them, charging a red ball of energy in each.

Katibree took a brief moment to glance over at the redhead, reading her body language. _She needs time to make some decision? I know she can take down a small fry like this… OK, more stalling it is. _She thought to herself with a shrug.

"One last thing before you "exterminate" us "inferior" mortals, Soshurn was it?"

"Begging for mercy will get you nowhere half breed, but it's always entertaining none the less." The Mazoku sneered.

"This won't take long…" she assured him. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong but, the whole reason that you're here to kill me in the first place is because I refused to kill her."

"What is your point lesser being?"

"Well then basically, that means that you and your Monster buddies didn't want to fight her yourselves like you're about to do right now." "I mean, I don't really blame you guys." "She's killed a couple of your Mazoku generals as well as a fragment of your main boss Shabranigdo himself…" "She also helped destroy an _entire_ Dark Lord from a completely different world as well, if what I've read is correct…"

The energy balls that Soshurn had readied began to waver slightly.

"Which basically means that the reason you high and mighty Monsters tried to hire me was because you're tired of dropping like flies every time one of you tries to kill her yourself." The half elf continued thoughtfully.

_Well someone's done her homework, so she's known who I am the entire time? - - Oh, I get what she's doing!_

"And it's really a shame too, Soshurn…" Lina added. "If you'd shown up just a few minutes later you might have had one of us out of your hair for good… maybe even both…" "But now thanks to _your_ screw up, we're working together." "I'm sure your superiors will be thrilled…"

"Either way, I'd say your odds aren't looking all too good right now, and they're only getting worse." Katibree added with a confident smirk.

Soshurn's yellow eyes began to widen as the gravity of what the girls where saying to him began to sink in.

"… I've decided to spare you both for now." Soshurn said quietly. "I was planning to drink in your anguish by making you watch this as the last of your life drained from your body half breed, but I've decided that it is not nearly enough suffering for the likes of you!" the Mazoku spat, tossing a battered communication device at the assassin's feet before teleporting away.

"See what your insolence has wrought your comrades and _SUFFER_!"


	19. Chapter 19

Katibree picked up the device and stared at it a long moment before activating it.

A fuzzy, dark projection appeared above the two girls. The details of a man's face who appeared to be lying on the floor could barely be made out.

"Elder Sharn." The half elf whispered to herself.

"Bladedancer, this is an urgent message." "I can only hope that this gets to you in time…" "The guild is under attack by demons who were marauding as human beings." "Our weapons have no effect on them, and they are hunting down and slaughtering us one by one…" "They will not be content until they've slain us a- -"

The elders words where cut off as a green scaled foot emerged out of the astral plane above him, crushing his head against the floor with a sickening sound.

"Oh, how terribly clumsy of me!" a now all too familiar voice to Katibree chuckled gleefully as he went to pick up the communication device to get a close up of his hideous face for the half elf's benefit.

"Don't worry mortal, you'll be joining him soon enough." "But until then, let me show you what we've done with the place…"

The scene was one of utter horror. Mangled bodies where strewn throughout the halls of the guild, many of which the assassin recognized. Some were even strung up as grizzly decorations. Countless lesser demons frolicked about smearing blood of the fallen on the walls and several higher end Monsters could be seen moving about in the distance.

Soshurn turned the device back toward himself to speak. "Now remember, you could have just agreed to kill Lina Inverse and avoided all of this… Maybe even have been granted eternal life and gained some favor in the eyes of the Monster race." "But you've made your decision, and anyone who isn't an enemy of Lina Inverse is an enemy of ours and so must be made an example of." "I'm sure that the anger and despair radiating from you as I force you to watch this will be most - -"

The assassin cut the device off having seen enough, and began to walk off purposefully.

"H-hey, you're not going to just go straight back there are you?!" Lina called after her while jogging to catch up.

"It's suicide!"

"You are the _last _person that I want advice from right now, Inverse." Katibree said quietly, while quickening her pace.

"There are a lot of monsters involved in this and some pretty powerful ones to boot; you're going to need some help with whatever it is that you're planning." The sorceress persisted.

"I work alone." The assassin stated dryly, never slowing her pace.

Lina skid to a halt, staring after the half elf in frustration. _Why won't she listen?! She has NO clue what she rushing into - - _"SHADOW SNAP!"

_What do ya know…? It actually worked._

The larger woman looked down at the dart in the ground and then back at the furious redhead storming toward her expressionlessly.

Lina closed the distance between them and stood in front of the assassin defiantly. "Look, if you go rushing off without a solid plan, you're going to wind up just as dead as all your buddies over th - -"

Suddenly Katibree reached out and snatched the redhead by the collar of her shirt, pressing a blade to her throat angrily in a lightning fast motion.

Lina simply sighed quietly as a single trickle of blood ran down her neck, before trying again.

_It looks like I finally have her full attention. _The redhead thought with grim satisfaction.

"Just stop and think a second." "If you kill me, it'll be **exactly** what they wanted you to do in the first place." "That's probably why Soshurn left the message we just saw with you the way that he did even though it wasn't his original plan." "On the other hand, us teaming up is probably one of the **last** things that they'd want…" "You saw **yourself** how Soshurn hightailed it out of here just now."

_She's got a point. _The half elf thought, releasing Lina's shirt with a frustrated growl. _I'm not thinking straight… It's not her fault that these Mazoku are depraved assholes._

The sorceress wiped the trickle of blood off of her neck absently while she continued. "I've been tangling with Monsters for a long time now, and I'm sure the stuff that I know would be useful to you…" "And besides, I sort of feel responsible for this whole mess." "At least partially, anyway."

"So what do ya say?" Lina asked, extending her hand to Katibree with a smile that could light the heavens themselves.

_She's completely out of her mind, but she's definitely got a strange sort of… charm._

The half elf took Lina's hand and shook it firmly. "What did you have in mind?" she sighed in resignation.

"Now that's more like it!" Lina exclaimed hitting, the shocked assassin on her back with a resounding THWACK!

"What do you say we talk about this over lunch?" "I'm starved!" Lina exclaimed, already headed down the path."

"Uh… Inverse?" Katibree called after her.

"What's up Kat?" Lina inquired turning back around.

The assassin simply pointed at the dart still embedded firmly in her shadow, while giving the sorceress an amused look.

"Eh heh heh heh…" "Oh, that." Lina replied sheepishly, while blushing profusely.


	20. Chapter 20

"Ah, that should about do it!" Lina exclaimed, as she tossed the last of the fish she'd caught onto a huge pile with nearly thirty others sitting near the camp fire.

Katibree merely sat leaning against a nearby tree stump and stared silently at the massive pile while sweat dropping

_Should…?_ The half elf thought to herself in disbelief.

"So Kat, first things first..." The redhead began as she started to skewer fish and set them up around the fire to cook.

"If we're going to be partners from now on, we've got some unfinished business to take care of first."

_Is she just going to cook and eat them without - - ? __**Partners**__, when did I ever agree to __**that**__…?_

"I'd hardly call this a partnership, Inverse." "It's closer to what I'd call a temporary allian - -"

"Anyway, technicalities aside." The sorceress interrupted. "We're in this together now." She said, turning her attention away from the food to look at the assassin directly and stress her point.

"So if we're going to be working together, there are some things that we need to clear up." Lina finished, still holding Katibree's gaze.

Katibree, fighting the urge to squirm uncomfortably under the intensity of the sorceresses' ruby colored gaze, managed a careless shrug.

_She looks so young, but those eyes…_

"You mean what we were discussing at the tavern before the Mazoku showed up?" Katibree asked, forcing herself to maintain eye contact.

"That's right." Lina affirmed, turning her attention back to the cooking fish and turning a couple slightly. "I hate to say this, but I really don't think that what's good or bad for your business really matters anymore..." the redhead said trailing off toward the end of her sentence.

"And you still have your investigation from Zephilia to bring to a close." The assassin finished for Lina bluntly.

_Sure doesn't miss much does she?_ Lina thought to herself sheepishly.

"So, you have a name for me then?"

The half elf paused a moment before answering. "The employer's name is Corbin Thomas, also a member of The Eternal Queen's council."

"WHAT?!" Lina exclaimed, her ruby colored eyes widening as she nearly face-faulted into the camp fire that she'd been leaning over.

"As I'm sure you've heard, there have been regular debates held on whether or not The Kingdom of Zephilia should begin the trade of what could be considered "sensitive knowledge" back and forth with kingdoms from the outer barrier." Katibree explained.

"Yeah, I heard something about that." Lina mused.

"And in order for this decision to be reached, the vote among the ten high council members has to be unanimous." The half elf continued.

Lina nodded affirmatively.

"Well to make a long story short, the first high councilor that Thomas put the hit on was trafficking information about Zephilia's military development to the highest bidder for her own profit, and she was in turn bribing the second high councilor that the hit was placed on to continue to throw the tariff vote…."

Katibree trailed off to see if the redhead was following everything that had just been said.

"To slow down Zephilia's technological development, while other countries that have already agreed to the trade get a larger head start." Lina finished for the half elf.

"Exactly, and Thomas didn't have enough solid evidence to accuse and convict the two of them, so the whole thing would have most likely ended up turning into a long drawn out trial with the potential to take months as the advancement of Zephilia continued to suffer…"

"So he hired you, and now two new high council members have already been appointed to take their spots." Lina finished for her.

"There you have it."

"And you have the evidence to prove Corbin Thomas actually hired you, Kat?"

"That's right." The half elf affirmed.

"Well that makes things allot easier…" "But, there's one thing I still don't get." Lina said while grabbing a fish off of the fire that looked cooked enough. "Ouch, that's hot!"

"What's that?" Katibree asked, observing the sorceress juggle her food from hand to hand with amusement.

"If you did the job, for the good of Zephilia…" "Then why didn't you just tell me all of this to begin with?"

"I didn't do the job for the "good of Zephilia." The half elf said as she stood up.

"I just don't care to take jobs that involve killing people for useless or petty reasons." "Besides any good assassin has some code of honor that they follow, the only reason I've even told you what I have is because our interests happen to overlap at the present time." Katibree finished, as she picked up her weapons and headed into the forest.

_That's the only reason? _The redhead thought to herself dejectedly._ So, the only reason Katibree never took the jobs to come after me is because the people trying to hire her to do it never had a good enough reason to want me dead in the past?_

_But, I could have sworn I heard Soshurn say that Kat's superiors told him that she wouldn't take the job regardless of who attempted to hire her to do it… Doesn't that include whatever their reasons were as well - -_

"I'm going to go train some." Katibree said, effectively breaking off Lina's train of thought.

"Oh, don't you want any?" Lina asked, gesturing at the cooking fish.

"No thanks."

"Your loss!" Lina shouted after her cheerfully, before digging into the feast of fish whole heartedly.


	21. Chapter 21

_It's pretty nice having someone to talk to on the road again. _Lina thought to herself as she walked along side of Katibree with her hands clasped behind her head.

_I guess I'd just gotten so used to having Gourry around all the time that I'd started taking the constant company for granted…_The sorceress took a moment to steal a quick glance at the half elf. _She's definitely no Gourry, but she can be pretty fun at times. I just wish that she'd loosen up more often… She barely talks about herself at all and it's kinda hard to figure out what she all about. She reminds me of Zelgadis a little in that respect. And speaking of Gourry and the others…_

"Hey Kat, I've been thinking…"

"What's that, Inverse?" Katibree asked, turning her attention to the redhead as they walked.

"Well, we've still got about a week before we get to Zephilia to smooth this entire mess over, but afterwards… With the current situation involving all these Monsters, I think we're going to eventually need some serious back up." Lina explained.

"A reunion with your past traveling companions?"

"That's right, you've heard of them?" the sorceress asked.

"Yeah, I've read up on some of them." "There's the Chimera, the Seyruun Princess, and the descendant of the Swordsman of light, correct?" the half elf asked.

_Just how much about me __**does **__she know exactly?_

"That's most of them, but as far as the sword of light goes, Gourry doesn't have it anymore." "That's one of the reasons I've been debating on whether or not to bring him into this whole deal lately." "He _is_ a master swordsman, but without the sword of light, he won't be of much use against pure Monsters…"

"What happened to it?" Katibree asked with interest.

"Well after that huge battle with Darkstar, Sirius took all the weapons of light back with him to the Overworld, including Gorunova."

"Can't you just cast a communication spell to get a hold of the Overworlder then?" The half elf asked.

"I could if he was on _this_ plane of existence, but he's in another dimension completely." "Even _my _powers couldn't pull that sort of thing off across two different worlds." Lina replied with a sigh."

"But, you can link up with anyone in the world here to send a message?"

"It's a really complicated process, and I'd have to know the person to be able to pinpoint them with the spell, but yeah." "Why do you ask, Kat?" the redhead asked, wondering where the assassin was going with her train of thought.

"Well, as you know my side of the barrier is significantly more technically advanced than yours, because of the lack of powerful magic there…" "I think I've heard of a device that theoretically should be capable of making a link between the two worlds, but a suitable power source was never found to activate it properly…" Katibree trailed off thoughtfully, smirking at the sorceress."

_What's she smiling about?_

"You've got more than enough power to burn if the creator can find a way to channel it into the device, all they'd have to worry about is the damn thing overloading and exploding because you gave it too much juice."

Lina stopped walking completely with a shocked expression on her face, before finally breaking into a torrent of laughter. "Yeah, I guess you're right!" she giggled.

"So if this device can link to the Overworld like you say, then I can get in touch with Sirius from there." Lina said thoughtfully while wiping an eye, after recovering from her fit of laughter.

Katibree nodded at her, and continued to walk once more.

"So you want to head to the outer barrier after Zephilia then?" Lina asked, walking more quickly to catch up with the half elf.

"It's what I was planning to do anyway; I have something that I need to take care of there as it is." The assassin replied.

_She must be talking about her guild. That was really horrible, and I doubt anything has been done about all those bodies - - _

Lina's train of thought was rudely interrupted by the loud rumbling of her stomach.

Katibree stopped and looked at her quizzically.

The sorceress merely, placed her hand on her neck, rubbing it and laughing embarrassedly.

"Come on." The half elf sighed, as she cut across the road and headed directly into the forest.

"Where are we going?"

"Just get a camp fire started, I'll be back in awhile." _She eats more than anyone I've ever met! _Katibree laughed to herself quietly. _Oh well, it's only a couple of hours before we'd stop to make camp anyway… Plus, I think I have some gear stashed in this area._

"Oh alright, no problem!" Lina exclaimed, as she began to look for firewood in the clearing. _Looks like she's going to do the cooking this time! _Lina thought to herself happily. _I wonder what's she's going to bring back?_

Authors Note

Hello reader, first off I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read my Fic thus far, I really appreciate it, and of course any praise or criticism is always gratefully accepted and taken into consideration.

That being said, I am compelled to warn you that after this point, this Fic will contain "Yuri" undertones and situations (girl on girl themes), although they will remain fairly tame for now. If you are offended or disinterested in this type of thing, then I urge you to discontinue reading this work at this point.

If you should decide to continue to read this Fan Fiction, then I assure you that the same elements that interested you in this work to begin with will remain, the only thing that will be different is that a romance will begin to gradually develop as the main plot of the Fic continues to develop and play out.

Once again, thank you for your time.

Z-wine


	22. Chapter 22

(later on that day)

"Where'd you get all of that?" Lina inquired, looking up from the large camp fire that she'd been tending. "Sure, took you a long time to get back." She added.

"The path we're traveling on is pretty much the same route that I took on my way from Zephilia, its camping gear that I'd stashed in the area." Katibree explained while placing something that looked like a large metal grate on stilts over the camp fire, after setting down the two sizable sacks she'd been carrying.

_That's convenient. _"So if one sack is for camping gear… then what's the other one for?" the sorceress asked with growing interest.

The assassin merely smirked while reaching into the second sack and beginning to place pieces of prepared meat on the metal grate.

"Well, it was originally just a spare sack, but as much as you eat…" "I'd say it just officially became a sack for transporting game that's been caught." Katibree replied.

"Oh, what did you get??" Lina asked, clasping her hands together excitedly.

"A few rabbits, a boar, and a small elk, they're already skinned and everything." "I washed the meat off in a river nearby as well; it's down stream of where we'll actually be bathing." The half elf added.

"That sounds delicious!" _I know who's cooking from now on!_

"That sounds great Kat, and you know a bath sounds pretty good right now too!" "Just come and let me know when the foods done OK?" Lina said, while rummaging through the new camping equipment in search of bathing supplies before heading off in the direction of the near by lake.

_It'll be nice to do something other than just rinse off in the lake while I'm on the road for once._

"No problem." The half elf replied absently, while flipping over a shank of elk on the makeshift grill.

_I've never had elk or boar before… I wonder what they taste like? _Lina thought to herself as she made her way through the brush, closing in on the lake ahead.

_Well, I'm assuming boar will taste like pork. _She thought with a giggle as she finally made it to the bank of the lake and began to undress.

The sorceress gave herself a quick once over in the reflection shown on the surface of the water before dipping a foot into the water tentatively.

"Whoa. That's allot colder than I thought it would be!" she exclaimed, as she yanked her foot out of the water.

"This lake could definitely use some of that old Lina Inverse touch!" the redhead exclaimed, charging a Fireball gleefully.

"FIRE…"

Katibree, who was still cooking back at the campsite, looked up at the distinct sound of Lina's voice.

"…BALL!"

The assassin sprang to her feet and drew her blades with one motion as a nearby explosion shook the area.

_Damn it! Where they just waiting for us to split up before they attacked? _The half elf thought to herself angrily as she ran through the brush at a dead sprint, bounding off of the sides of trees and boulders as she ran.

She charged her blades reflexively at the sound of another explosion and leapt through the clearing that led to the lake at break neck speeds.

As the half elf cleared the trees, her momentum continued to carry her through the air, past the bank and into a shallow area of the lake.

Katibree's lavender eyes widened in shock as she slipped and skid on the smooth rocks lining the lake's bottom, finally bringing herself to abrupt stop mere inches from a very naked Lina Inverse's backside.

"Uhm… I, uh…" the half elf stammered.

Lina turned around to look as Katibree began to backtrack, loosing her balance on the smooth surface of the lake bottom and falling backwards with a SPLASH.

_Kat…? That was graceful… What's she doing here - - OH the Fireballs!_

"Oh, heya Kat!" "I meant to warn you about that…" the redhead added, placing an arm over her breasts self consciously as an afterthought.

"I like to heat up my baths with a Fireball or two sometimes when I'm on the road." She continued sheepishly.

Upon the partial concealment of Lina's breasts, the assassin's eyes reflexively wandered down the sorceresses' lithe frame, past a very tight little stomach and directly to the next area of interest.

_As red as the hair on her head… What do you know? Looks like a fuzzy little carrot down th - - What the hell am I doing?! _She thought, shooting her eyes back up to Lina's face and hoping to the Gods that Lina hadn't picked up on what she'd just been so interested in…

"Well, at least we know that the charge on your blades works underwater now." Lina continued teasingly.

Katibree looked down at her blades in confusion, and watched for a moment as one of them began to burn its way through some of the stones on the bottom of the lake before dispelling the charge on them.

_When did I…? I'm not even drained or anything…_

"Yeah, I guess they do." She said looking back up at Lina and once again being assaulted with the sight of the redhead's naked frame now, gorgeously highlighted by the setting sun.

_Wow. _She could feel the tips of her ears beginning to redden, and felt a feeling stirring in her nether regions that she hadn't felt in quite some time.

"Ishouldgocheckonthefood." The half elf said hurriedly before jumping up and turning to leave.

"Hey, don't forget to come get me when it's ready OK Kat?" Lina called after the assassin.

_Did she even hear me? She didn't even say anything back…_

The half elf walked back to camp at a much quicker pace than normal. _What the hell is wrong with me? I acted like a complete jackass back there. It's not like I've never seen another girl naked before. _She fumed to herself finally making it back to the camp sight and plopping down in front of the make shift grill agitatedly.

Katibree poked at the meat on the grill thoughtfully. _I guess that's just it… I was expecting to see a __**girl**__… not a __**woman**__…That sorceresses' get up doesn't do that figure of hers any justice at all…_She sighed to herself as her mind conjured up an image of what she'd just seen back at the lake in vivid detail. The half elf shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the image. "Would you cut it out?" She hissed at the unmistakable throbbing between her legs, giving her womanhood an irritated swat.

_I'm too old for crushes… And if I remember correctly… I'm pretty sure those are supposed to be reserved for people older than yourself anyway._

_But still…I always read that she was supposed to be built like a bean pole or something… and those sure as hell weren't some little mosquito bites on her chest either…_

"Whoever started all those rumors is a fucking dumbass." The half elf sighed audibly.

"What rumors?"

_How long has she been standing there? Gods I'm losing it._

"That was a quick bath, Red." Katibree replied, blatantly ignoring Lina's question.

"Oh yeah, it's just that the foods smells really delicious - -" _Did she just call me Red?_

"Oh, it's "Red" now instead of "Inverse" is it? "Why'd you pick that nickname all of the sudden?"

The assassin looked up at the sky for a moment wondering the same thing herself.

"I don't know I just said it all of the sudden I - -"

Just then, an image of the fore mentioned fuzzy carrot of Lina's that Katibree had been examining with so much interest earlier popped into her mind...

"I uh… I guess Lina works just fine too huh?" she said laughing nervously.

"Here, the first round of food is ready." She added, handing the redhead a heaping plate of BBQ'd meats.

Thanks Lina said absently, still stuck on her new nickname.

_It's blatantly obvious that I'm a redhead… I doubt Kat just all of the sudden noticed that, if she's anything she's always observant. So why'd she come up with that nickname just now all of the sudden instead of calling me it earlier? She's has to have gotten the idea from something that's happened recently… Well… she was just at the lake with me… maybe something she saw there…?_

Katibree looked over at the sorceress suspiciously

_I thought she was hungry… why isn't she eating? Wait I know that fucking look, she's trying to figure out why I gave her that nickname - -_

The assassin reached over and bonked the redhead over the top of her head.

"OUCH!" "HEY, what did ya do that for??!" Lina exclaimed holding her head as a few crocodile tears welded up in her eyes.

"Your food's getting cold." Katibree replied with a smirk.

_Her figuring that sort of thing out is the last thing I need…_


	23. Chapter 23

"So Kat, you wanna get this next set?"

"What do you **mean **this **next **set?" "I've gotten **every **set up until now, and plus there's like **thirty** of them..." The assassin exclaimed to the redhead.

"Thirty-two by my count." "Come on Kat, you could use the exercise." Lina replied, winking at the half elf coyly.

"Don't give me that shit." Katibree said, stifling the urge to laugh. "It was **your **idea to look inside of that **ridiculous **cave for "treasure" and **your **fault that these **orcs** followed us out of it..."

"…And on top of that…" the half elf continued, holding out a hand to count on her fingers and stress her point. "I took out the group of trolls before this, the bandit gang before that, the bandit gang before **that**, _**and**_ that **douche bag **of a mercenary that thought one of us looked at him the wrong way before _**that**_!

Katibree walked over to the redhead closing the distance between herself and the sorceress, folding her arms and leaning forward slightly as Lina began to giggle uncontrollably.

_She's sooo __**hilarious**__ when she's mad!_

(K) "Not to mention the fact that **someone **insisted that I "take it easy" on the humans." "So instead of just killing them and getting it over with, I had to inca–fucking–pasitate them instead…" The half elf continued to rant.

(L) "Yeah, well you really need to lighten up more, Kat!" "You shouldn't just go around slaughtering people all the time, it's so messy and gross…" Lina, replied while patting the assassin on the shoulder cheerfully.

"And we need to work on that language of yours too." "A lady really shouldn't go around using words like that." The redhead added teasingly.

"I'm not a "lady" I'm an assassin." Katibree shot back, placing her face mere inches from Lina's.

"Ex-assassin." Lina countered with a smirk.

The half elf jerked her head back with a comical expression on her face, before leaning forward once more. "And just who the **hell** decided **this**??!" She exclaimed.

"I did, just now." Lina replied, giving Katibree her trade mark Lina Inverse wink.

"I…un-fucking-believable..!"

"Language, Kat…" the redhead chided coyly.

The half elf glared at her a second before suddenly snatching a red gem out one of the sides of Lina's shoulder guards and tossing it at the creeping horde of orcs.

"H-hey!" Lina exclaimed.

Katibree cocked her head to one side and continued to glare at the sorceress defiantly as the red gem hit the ground, exploding on impact and scattering the orcs temporarily. (1)

"I _**hate **_it when you do that!" Lina exclaimed. "It really sucks to make those…" Lina added quietly, more to herself than to the half elf. "Alright, alright, come on Kat!" the redhead said as she turned and began to run.

"…Zephilia is in the direction of the orc horde, Red."

"I know, I know, just come on!" Lina shouted over her shoulder.

The 'ex-assassin?' merely shrugged carelessly before running after her, catching up easily.

(K) "Ok, now what?"

"Now I do **this**!" Lina exclaimed, as she suddenly spun around and placed a hand on the ground as she skid to a halt.

(K) "Hum?"

"Stone Spiker!" Lina exclaimed.

Katibree watched in fascination as a 20 foot tall stone spike shot out of the ground.

"That's cool looking and everything but - -"

Suddenly she felt the sorceresses' arm around her waist. "Uh, Lina..?" The half elf asked nervously.

(L) "And now, Ray Wing!"

"Oh shi - -!"

"Language, Kat." Lina interrupted with a strange smile on her face.

"Damn it, Inverse!"

_Oh she's back to calling me by my last name again? She must be __**really **__mad. _Lina thought to herself with a laugh, as the two girls reached the top of the spike and continued to go even higher.

_What's so damn funny??_

"Give us a plateau Kat!"

"What?" the ex-assassin asked looking up from her position under the crook of Lina's arm.

Lina merely looked back at Katibree, smiling brilliantly a moment before dropping the bewildered half elf from some 30 feet or so up in the air.

_Oh… FUCK…YOU too Inverse…! I'm going to get her back so bad for this..! _The ex-assassin thought to herself, while whipping out and charging her blades in mid air.

As she dropped past the top of the stone spike, she crossed her arms and flung her blades at the pillar of stone, shearing off the top half and leaving a flat surface.

She'd had the chance to catch her returning weapons and fail miserably at trying to use her supposedly 'innate' levitation ability, before she was caught in mid air by the sorceress.

"Nice catch." Katibree said dryly, as she avoided eye contact with Lina. The half elf could feel her face beginning to burn with embarrassment and maybe a little of something else that she didn't care to admit to herself, due to the way that Lina was carrying her now. _Maybe this is how the bride feels as the groom carries her to their honeymoon suite (minus the 30 foot drop) _She thought to herself sarcastically.

"Thanks!" Lina replied sunnily, as they made their way back up to the top of the stone pillar.

"Maybe a little more warning next time?" the half elf asked the sorceress.

"Oh, you think on your toes alright, Kat." Lina replied lightly as she landed on the top of the pillar and deposited the larger woman back on her feet surprisingly gently.

"Yeah, well my 'feet' were no where near the ground." The ex-assassin countered.

"Yeah, yeah…" the redhead laughed while sizing up the horde of orcs ahead of and below them, making a picture frame around them with her forefingers and thumbs.

"Ready, Kat?" "I'm gonna do this in one shot." Lina added matter of factly.

Katibree merely nodded distractedly. Her skin was already beginning to tingle from the magical energy building within the sorceress. Red wisps of energy were already visible and were beginning to twist lazily around the redhead.

(L) "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"

_This is a new one. _The ex-assassin thought to herself as she observed the wisps of energy beginning to spread and twist around her feet as well.

(L) "Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…"

Katibree folded her arms and studied Lina's posturing and hand gestures, shaking her head slightly in an attempt to clear the creeping fuzziness around the edges of her mind, as the growing magical energy coursed over her skin.

(L) "I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand…" Lina continued, changing her tone of voice to a more commanding pitch as she chanted.

_What's happening to me? _Katibree thought feverishly, as she fought to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head. _I haven't felt anything even remotely close to this except for that day that Lina and I first met, and the sensation… It's just getting further and further from what I felt that day by the moment. It almost feels like…_

Both girls were now engulfed in a red vortex of swirling energy. The magic radiating from Lina now felt like it was pulsing directly through the half elf's body, and the sensations all soon began converging at one very sensitive point. Katibree closed her eyes and stifled a moan as her legs began to give way beneath her.

_Gods…I…I think…_

(L) "Let the _**fools**_ who stand before me be destroyed, by the power that you and I **possess**…!"

The ex-assassin half fell, and half sat down abruptly, placing one hand on her face and the other dangerously close to something else, as she struggled to control her breathing with little success while stifling yet another moan of pleasure. The energy of the spell twisted all around them, and as it rose in power, the intensity of the sensations within the half elf escalated as well.

_Am I… am I gonna…?_

Katibree gasped quietly and hunched over as the waves of ecstasy that the magical barrage was triggering, which up until this point only washed over her womanhood periodically, became stationary and focused directly on her most sensitive area with a constant buzz.

_Oh, God's I think I am…! _Katibree thought to herself in disbelief.

She could only clench her teeth with a strained whimper, and try her best not to shudder too noticeably, as her eyes rolled to the back of her head from the force of her surprise climax.

"_**Dragon**_ _**Slave**_!" Lina exclaimed triumphantly, extending both of her hands forward, as a large beam of red and white energy erupted from her palms. The Dragon Slave shot out toward the horde of orcs detonating directly in the center of them all. The entire area erupted into a massive red ball of destruction, incinerating everything within the radius of it, and leaving a huge smoking crater in its wake.

"So what do you think, Kat?" Lina turned beaming to where she thought the half elf would be standing. _Where'd she - - What's she doing down there? Is she tired or something…? Maybe all those fights from before really wore her out…But she didn't seem to be tired then…_

"I think…" The half elf began but faltered, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch as she experienced a sudden jolt of pleasure from an after spasm.

(L) _Was that a… hiccup..? _The sorceress wondered to herself in bemusement.

(K) "I think, I'm going to need…a moment." Katibree finally managed while still covering a very flushed face with her hand, and stifling a gasp as she experienced yet another ripple of pleasure from a second after-spasm.

"Are you alright Kat?" Lina asked with some concern, while sitting down directly next to the ex-assassin. "You look really flushed…" "Here, let me check your temperature." She added pulling off a white glove.

"I'm… fine, Lina…"

"Holy heck Kat, you're burning up!"

"I said, I'm **fine**!" the half elf exclaimed, swatting Lina's hand away before standing up somewhat unsteadily.

She met the redhead's ruby colored gaze with some serious will power for the first time since the whole fiasco and saw the hurt expression the sorceresses' face.

_She has no clue what just happened…What the hell was that all about? I don't need this shit._

"Just… Just get me down off of this thing, OK Red?" "I'll be just fine… I'm just not… used to being around a spell of that… 'intensity' yet…"

_Understatement of the fucking century. _The half elf thought to herself bemusedly.

"…Sure thing, Kat." Lina replied after a moment of hesitation.

Author's note:

(1) We find out that the red gems in Lina's shoulder guards explode after being removed in Slayers NEXT during the episode "No Escape! The Return of the Obsessive Martina!"


	24. Chapter 24

_I can't __**believe**__ this crap, it's just __**my**__ luck…! _Lina thought to herself miserably. She'd awoken just a few moments earlier and noticed a familiar and uncomfortable wetness between her legs and so had gotten up and walked off into the brush for some privacy to confirm her worse fears.

_I'm like two days early! I thought I was finally done with all of this day changing stuff… It's come and gone like clock work for almost two years now, so what the __**hell**_

_**DAMN**__ it, we were supposed to be near the next town by the time it started, I don't even have any emergency feminine stuff… I was going to buy some as soon as I got to town. Either way, this temporary fix won't last long._

_I guess I'll have to see if Kat has any…how __**embarrassing**__! Well I guess I'd have to tell her anyway considering my magic is going to be practically worthless the next few days as it is. _The redhead reasoned with herself gloomily.

After making it back to camp, Lina leaned against a nearby tree watching Katibree finish cooking their breakfast over the campfire, while trying to work up the courage to ask her the question that needed to be asked. The sorceress opened her mouth, but immediately closed it back, blushing profusely. Finally deciding to delay the embarrassing conversation for abit longer, Lina simply continued to watch the half elf, her thoughts drifting off to considerably less mortifying subjects.

_It looks like she's already been up for hours… Sometimes I wonder if she even sleeps at all. I wonder what's for breakfast today anyway? Looks like eggs and wild potatoes…_An image of the assassin in treetops, raiding various birds' nests came to the redhead's mind suddenly.

_No wonder the birds sound so pissed off this morning! _The sorceress thought to herself with a laugh.

Katibree looked up at the sound of Lina's laughter with a quizzical expression on her face before shaking her head with a smirk and reaching for one of the redhead's makeshift stone plates and heaping spoonful after spoonful of food on it.

"Are you going to just stand there, or didn't you feel like eating today?" The ex-assassin asked coyly while grabbing a piece of potato off of the plate that she was holding and popping it into her mouth before offering it to Lina.

"Oh, I'm eating, I'm eating!" Lina giggled while making her way over to the campfire and taking the plate that the half elf was offering her.

_And that's another thing that gets me… _Lina thought to herself while sitting down at the campfire. _Even the rest of the gang have always had something smart to say about my table manners, or how much I eat at one time or another…But Kat hasn't even mentioned it. I mean, I know she notices it… that obvious just from the amount of food that she cooks…_

The sorceresses' thoughts trailed off a moment as she stole a glance at the ex-assassin who was currently serving up her own plate of food. _She really doesn't eat much at all, hardly ever gets seconds…I just don't understand why anyone would do all of that cooking and have no problem with someone else getting most of the food…_

_She always fixes my plate first too, it's kinda nice but it's definitely something that I'm not used to. _Lina mused to herself silently.

Katibree looked up from what she was doing to glance over at the redhead who was merely staring at her food silently.

_There she goes again… I think I've finally found someone who thinks as much as I do… If not more. _The half elf added to herself with a chuckle. Still smirking she leaned over slightly, placing a hand in front of Lina's face and moving it back and forth. Having gotten no response, she slowly pressed her thumb and middle finger togetherbefore snapping loudly and jolting the sorceress out of her thoughts.

Lina jumped slightly, snapping her head up from her food to the hand now in front of her face and then looked at the owner of the arm, blinking her ruby colored eyes with a look of surprise on her face.

"Is there anyway that I can get tickets to 'Inverse World' too?" The half elf asked teasingly.

"Oh sure Kat, but it'll cost ya!" Lina giggled before finally digging into her food.

After a little over a minute, the redhead finished the once overflowing plate of food, sighing heavily afterwards.

The ex-assassin looked over at Lina inquisitively. _That certainly wasn't a happy or fulfilled sounding sigh…_

"Something wrong, Red?" Katibree asked while grabbing and refilling the sorceresses' plate before the inevitable request for seconds was spoken verbally.

"…Thanks Kat, and yeah there kind of is something wrong…" Lina said, trailing her words off with a blush.

"Well, what's up then?" The half elf asked lightly as she handed Lina back her newly heaped plate.

"Uhm… well. It's just that I'm not going to be able to cast any powerful magic for the next few days."

"Why's that?' Katibree asked before turning her attention back to her own food.

"I…well… I 'started' today."

"Your period?" "Yeah, I know that much Lina, but what does that have to do with your magic?"

"Well when a sorceress starts- -" Wait a minute, what do you mean you already know??" "Do I have a spot or something - -"

"No, no, no, it's nothing like that." Katibree chuckled. "Let's just say that my heritage gives me sharper senses than the average human."

_So she could smell it all along then? Hoooowwwwnnn, will the embarrassment EVER end today?_ Lina thought to herself while placing a hand over her face.

"Anyway, normally I plan things out to end up in or near a town when it starts, but I started two days early for some reason…" The redhead finally managed, speaking through her hand on her face.

"Oh, that's probably my fault." The half elf stated before taking a drink from her water skin.

Lina lifted the hand on her face slightly at this statement to get a better look at the ex-assassin. "And how exactly would that be?"

"When females are around each other constantly, their cycles just sync with one another after an extended period of time." Katibree explained matter of factly. "It's a hormone thing." She added, before taking another bite of food.

_That explains allot. _The sorceress thought to herself. "So when are you supposed to…?"

"I already have, but it actually started pretty late." The half elf replied nonchalantly before finishing her breakfast.

She's sure laid back about this whole thing… Oh well, I guess it's not nearly as big of a deal to her because she doesn't have any powers to lose. 

If she's already started then she must have something for me to use, so I guess there's no time like the present to ask…

"Uh, Kat?"

"Yes Lina?"

"Well… we're still a couple of days from the closest town, like I said before and - -"

Lina's words were abruptly cut off as a box of feminine products bounced off of her forehead before landing in her lap.

"I thought you said you weren't any good at beating around the bush, Lina." The half elf teased before simply placing her hands behind her head and lying back with a smile.

"Smart ass…" Lina murmured sheepishly while stifling a laugh. "Anyway, I'm going to head down to the river." She said after finishing her second plate of food and then rummaging around in one of the packs for bathing supplies.

The assassin merely nodded in affirmation.

The redhead was about halfway to the river before she realized that Katibree was following her dutifully.

"Uh Kat, now probably isn't the best time for you to take me up on the offer to join me taking a bath…"

"I hadn't planned on it." The half elf replied briskly.

"Then why are you coming with me to the river then?" Lina asked looking over shoulder with a genuinely confused expression on her face.

"Because you said you've lost the ability to cast any strong magic, and if a Mazoku attacks you while you're bathing, a regular short sword isn't going to do you a bit of good." Katibree replied bluntly. "There's no guarantee that I'd be able to make it from camp to here in time with you completely defenseless." She added.

_I guess that makes sense… _"But…" The sorceress began but trailed off.

"Relax Lina, there's nothing to be ashamed of." "Menstruation is just proof that you're an honest to goodness girl, it happens to the best of us." "Besides, I'll have my back turned and everything…" "…I just want to be nearby incase anything happens alright?" The ex-assassin added in a gentle tone that surprised Lina nearly as much as it surprised Katibree herself.

"I…alright." Lina finally replied as they reached the river.

The ex-assassin scanned the banks of the river with a cool lavender gaze before turning her back to the redhead as she'd promised.

Lina gave the half elf one last shy glance before going about the task of removing articles of clothing in preparation for her bath.

_I didn't ask her to do this, but I have to admit that I do feel allot safer with Kat guarding me. _The redhead thought to herself as she lowered herself into the frigid water with a small gasp. _It's really nice of her actually. _She continued to muse to herself while she watched with displeasure as a thin trickle of blood rose to the surface of the water before dispersing and being washed down stream.

_I always feel a little frayed and uptight at times like this, but I try not to let it get to me, especially when Gourry was around…I still don't think that he really understands what I go through every month to this very day… _Lina's trailed her thoughts off momentarily after finally adjusting to the temperature of the water somewhat and began lathering her body.

_It's not just the physical discomfort of it that bothers me either… The whole thing is like a big monthly psyche-out. Like a certain time every month, no matter how badly I may need to use my powers to get out of a jam, they won't be there to use. And on top of that, since the battle with Dark Star the talismans have been sealed somehow. _"I don't even know why I wear the darned things anymore honestly…" Lina sighed to herself audibly.

Katibree began to turn at the sound of Lina's voice, but caught herself and turned her back to the sorceress once again. "Wear what anymore?" she asked.

"Hum?" "Oh, I was just thinking about my Demon's Blood talismans." Lina explained glancing over her shoulder at the half elf.

"Demon's Blood…Well what do they do?" The ex-assassin asked out of morbid curiosity.

"When I activate them, they can greatly amplify my magic… but they don't work anymore." The sorceress replied dejectedly.

"They make your magic even stronger?" Katibree asked, her lavender eyes widening at the implications of what Lina had just said.

"Yeah, and they temporarily increase my magic capacity as well as my ability to control spells more effectively too." The redhead continued to explain.

_Why in the world would she want to amplify her powers more? _The half elf thought to herself uncomfortably as her mind drifted back to the past Dragon Slave incident against her will. She shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the unwelcome memories, forcing herself to continue her former train of thought.

"Well when was the last time that they worked?" Katibree asked, while doing her best to ignore the reflexive stirring of her nether regions triggered by her previous unwelcome train of thought._ Jeez, I'm turned on just by the thought of a Dragon Slave now…? _The half elf thought to herself, grateful to have her back turned at the moment to hide the blush coloring her cheeks.

"They were sealed during the battle with Dark Star, it happened when I tried to activate them to help me control the Giga Slave." Lina explained thoughtfully.

_Giga Slave? I don't think I even want to know about that spell just yet… _"Ok, well how are they activated?" The half elf asked.

"Oh it's a simple enough incantation, just like casting any other spell." The sorceress replied while stifling a shiver as she rinsed the soap off of herself.

Katibree mulled over what the redhead had just said a moment before continuing her line of questioning. "And the talismans are the source of the power?"

"Lina thought about the question abit before finally answering.

"Well the incantation is 'Lords of darkness of the four worlds grant me all the power you possess,' so I figure the talismans are just focal points for the actual sources that the power is coming from to converge on."

"The Lords of darkness of the four worlds…" Katibree said to herself slowly while placing a hand on her chin thoughtfully.

"That's right." Lina affirmed as she stood and began drying herself off. _I wonder where she going with this?_

"So that includes Shabranigdo, the Dark Lord of this world and Dark Star from the Over world as well correct?" "So then it would only make sense that the old incantation won't work now that Dark Star has been destroyed, but you just said that they were sealed while Dark Star was still alive…" Katibree mused.

"Yeah, it happened during the battle with him, that's the part I don't understand." The redhead brooded as she began to get dressed.

The ex-assassin let the information stew a bit before speaking once more.

"Hey, Lina?"

"Yeah, Kat?"

"Remember when you where telling me about that battle with a fragment of Shabranigdo you had, where that guy tried to cast the Dragon Slave against him but it didn't work because the power of the Dragon Slave is derived from Shabranigdo himself?"

"Yeah, I remember that." The sorceress affirmed.

"Well, wouldn't the same thing apply to the talismans?" "I mean, it wouldn't make any sense for Dark Star to grant you power to help defeat him right?" The ex-assassin asked.

_I never thought of it that way. _"That makes sense, so where are you going with this Kat?" Lina asked with growing interest as she pulled on one boot and then the other.

"I'm just saying that maybe the reason the talismans didn't work was because one of the Dark Lords denied you their power, making the incantation to activate the talismans incorrect." Katibree explained.

"I'm not quite following you, Kat."

"Well there are four worlds with a Dark Lord on each of them correct?"

"That's what I understand, yes." Lina replied, giving the back of the half elf's head a strange look.

"And there are also four talismans… Why not just one large one?" The half elf mused more to herself than to the redhead.

"So you think that each talisman is for a different Dark Lord?" Lina asked.

""It's just a theory, but yes." "So the way I see it, there's a possibility that only one of the talismans is actually sealed…" Katibree continued before trailing off once more.

"You're saying that you think the reason that the talismans aren't activating is because I'm reciting an incantation for them that's obsolete now…!" The sorceress exclaimed. _Why didn't I think of that??_

"…I mean, you modify spells all the time Lina, so why not try modifying this one to draw power from three Dark Lords instead of four?" "Then if it works, you can just get rid of the bum talisman."

_That just might actually WORK! _"OH Kat, you're the greatest!" Lina gushed, dropping the bathing supplies she had just finished gathering and giving the flustered half elf a bear hug from behind.

_Jeez, she allot stronger than she looks! _"OK, OK, Lina, watch the ribs already…! Katibree wheezed.

"You have NO idea how huge this is Kat, I'm SO happy!" "The redhead exclaimed giggling giddily.

"Come on Red, I can't breathe… let go already!" The half elf said, laughing in spite of herself.

Lina relinquished her impromptu hug, still laughing. "You just made my day, I'm in a much better mood now!" "So did you want to take a bath too, or did you want to just pack up and hit the road?" The sorceress asked exuberantly.

"I took a bath earlier this morning while you were asleep, before the alarm spell dropped." Katibree replied while nursing her sore ribs. "Let's just go." She added with a chuckle.

"Alright, then let's get it on!" Lina exclaimed while snatching up the bathing supplies before running in the direction of the campsite. _I can't wait to try this out! I wonder if I can actually get it to work?? Ooooh I'm so excited! _The redhead gushed to herself as she began to pack up the camping equipment.

_Well isn't she fired up all of the sudden? _The ex-assassin thought to herself while blinking after the sorceress, before jogging to catch up with her.


	25. Chapter 25

_It looks like we'll be to the next town in about an hour walking at this pace…_Lina thought to herself as she looked up at the sky while stretching luxuriously. _We're a little behind schedule- - OK a week and a half behind schedule…but it's not that big of a deal._

_It's not like there's any way that Luna or the Eternal Queen could find out that the investigation was over almost as soon as it began, and there's no way for them to be able to tell when to expect me back. Even I wasn't expecting this entire deal to be solved so quickly._

_And besides, I'm really not in that big of a hurry to get back home anyway… I've been having a blast lately just being out here on the road…_

The redhead turned her head toward Katibree to strike up another of their many conversations, but the words died in her throat as she took note of the ex-assassin's subtle change in body language.

The half elf was walking with her head straight forward, but her lavender eyes where slightly narrowed and shifting back and forth from one side of the dirt path to the other, scanning the brush on either side of them from the corner of her eyes.

_We're being followed?_

"How many Kat?" the sorceress whispered."

"I can't really tell because I can't hear any footsteps clearly enough to count, but there are at least two because we're being tailed from either side of the path." Katibree whispered back.

"Well why don't we just confront them and get it over with then?" "I can take a few bandits or whatever even without my powers." Lina whispered back while making a dismissive gesture.

"This time I'd rather not actually, they're moving through the brush much too skillfully to be regular thugs, and besides that, I smell gun powder." The half elf whispered back while giving the redhead a serious glance before going back to scanning the brush for movement. _It almost feels like we're being hunted…_

The sorceress continued to walk, doing her best impression of being blissfully ignorant of their current situation as her mind kicked into overdrive.

Kat's definitely not happy with this situation, I don't ever think I've seen her this reluctant to fight before, but with guns being involved I guess I can see why.

_When guns were first introduced they were laughable, but now with all the advancements in technology, they've actually become pretty formidable. If I had my powers right now, I could just blast the surrounding area and be done with this… So what do I do…?_

"They're making their move." The ex-assassin whispered, her eyes tracing the movement of the ambushers through the brush as they moved ahead of the two girls in an attempt to cut them off.

Lina nodded grimly in a barely noticeable motion as they continued to walk as if nothing was wrong.

Soon enough, five beast men of various types burst forth from the bushes on either side of the dirt path, several yards ahead of the sorceress and ex-assassin.

A beast man with a coyote head, most likely the leader, was the first to speak.

"Well, what do we have here, looks like two succulent little morsels on the rag…"

_He knows that we're both…but how? Kat would have definitely caught them if they'd been close enough to watch us at all…_Lina thought to herself, while resisting the urge to reach for her short sword just yet.

_None of them look like they are carrying guns, all I see are swords, but I know I smell gunpowder…Where's it coming from, are they carrying explosives? _Katibree mused while studying the postures of the 5 beast men jeering at them from a distance.

"Let me guess, you guys are traveling merchants that just happen to be having a sell on maxi pads." the ex-assassin replied dryly in an attempt to stall for time. _I can get a couple of them from here, but I want to find the source of that gunpowder before I make a move…_

"Oh, an one O' them is even a comedian, ain't that just precious?" The leader of the beast men said while taking a few steps forward. "And not at all, one of us picked up your scents from down stream a day or so ago and we been tracking you ever since." He added.

"You both smelled so fertile that we couldn't help ourselves!" A ram headed goon behind the leader added while licking his chops.

Lina's mind brought up the image of the trickle of her blood rising to the surface of the water before drifting downstream during her bath the other day. _Now I get it, and they must have smelled Kat's too…_

The expression on the half elf's face hadn't changed but her eyes had become as cold as ice, the promise of death showing deep within the depths of them. _Despicable scum, gunpowder be damned, I'm ending this farce now._

With that last thought, Katibree snapped her blades out their sheaths and flung them at the unsuspecting beast men, decapitating one and severing the arm of the leader of the group, who immediately fell to the ground howling.

_WHOA, I guess its Showtime! _The redhead exclaimed to herself as she drew her short sword hurriedly to help intercept the three enraged and charging beast men that remained. _The guy's head and the other guy's arm just… went away! I didn't even register that Kat had done anything until her blades went whizzing past!_

Lina ran forward, locking blades with the first beast man that got to them before jumping back to square off with him.

The ex-assassin ran toward the other two beast men dropping down and into a sweep kick to get one of the beast men off of his feet. As he lost his balance, falling to the ground with a **thud**, the half elf continued to spin while returning to a standing position and brought her boot down on the now grounded beast man's windpipe with her momentum, killing him instantly.

The sorceress, currently occupied nearby, staggered backwards while dodging and parrying blows from the huge Minotaur headed beast man that she was fighting. She winced as every blow that she parried sent a shock of pain into her hands and down into her arms. _He's so damned strong, my hands and arms will go numb at this rate and I'll end up dropping my weapon…_

The redhead jumped back once more, putting distance between herself and the beast man before running and sliding between his legs while holding up her short sword. As soon as the sword connected with and sliced through some very important parts, the creature dropped to it's knees roaring miserably until it's cries were cut short by a two handed stroke to back of his neck by the sorceress. _That did the trick, how's Kat doing? _Lina wondered to herself while turning in the direction of the sounds of the other fight.

The ex-assassin bobbed and weaved a few times to avoid the angry swings of the last standing beast man's battle axe before catching her returning weapons.

Suddenly the leader, who had only been bleeding, wheezing, and clutching where his arm should have been up to this point, began shouting angrily.

"What the HELL is you WAITING for you IDIOT??" "Fucking SHOOTS THEM!" He bellowed angrily.

_I KNEW I smelled gunpowder, shit he's shouting at someone behind Lina! _Katibree thought to herself, narrowly avoiding the last angry swing from the battleaxe of the beast man she'd just been fighting as she spun and sprinted toward the sound of rustling brush behind the redhead.

There's another one?? Well, it looks like she's got it covered. Lina thought to herself as she watched Katibree sprinting toward her before moving forward to engage the pursuing beast man on the half elf's behalf. 

Sure enough, one last trembling beast man emerged from the bushes aiming a six- shooter directly at the back of the sorceress and squeezing off two shots.

The ex-assassin bolted past the sorceress and cut to the right sharply before skidding to a halt and placing herself in the gunman's line of sight before swatting aside one shot with a blade and being grazed in the shoulder with the second shot.

"Four more chances fucker." Katibree growled menacingly as she slowly advanced on the gunman while calculating the angle that he was holding his gun at to better anticipate and deflect the next shots.

_I heard gunshots; I don't have time for this crap! _Lina exclaimed to herself, before dropping down and rolling backwards and away from the beast man she was engaging.

"LIGHTING!" She shouted as she stretched out her free hand toward the advancing creature's face, blinding it with a brilliant flash of light. As the beast howled staggering backwards and shielding its eyes, the redhead jumped to her feet and jabbed her sword, thrusting it deeply into the beast man's stomach and twisting it viciously.

Behind the sorceress, the gunman took one shaky step back before firing the last four shots off in a panic. The ex-assassin swatted the first two pellets aside easily enough, but the last two were fired more rapidly in succession. She barely deflected the third shot and the fourth one struck her squarely in the chest, knocking the half elf backwards and off of her feet.

Lina turned her head at the sound of the last four gunshots just in time to see the half elf hit the ground with a grunt while clutching her chest, blood already beginning to pool there.

"KATIBREE hold ON!" The sorceress shouted, while struggling to release her short sword from the stomach of the fallen beast man. _It's wedged in there good; I don't have time to get it out…! _She thought to herself desperately as she looked over her shoulder again, first at the downed ex-assassin and then at the gunman scrambling to reload his six-shooter.

"**DAMN it**!!" Lina exclaimed audibly while giving up on freeing her sword as she turned and ran to the half elf's side, glancing once again at the beast man who was now unsteadily loading the last lead pellet into his gun.

I can't make it to him in time myself before he finishes loading that gun… Think Lina, THINK…

_I'VE GOT IT! _The redhead exclaimed to herself triumphantly while snatching up one of Katibree blades. "Take THIS you BASTARD!" Lina shouted as she flung it directly at the gunman.

The blade struck true, embedding itself in the head of a very shocked beast man who shot the air reflexively a few times before falling over dead.

The sorceress didn't give the creature a second glance as she turned her attention to Katibree. "Here, let me see it." She said quietly while leaning over the half elf.

"It doesn't look like it hit anything vital, but it looks like the slug is in there pretty deep Kat..."

The ex-assassin hissed as she tried to sit up.

"Don't get up yet, I don't have any experience with removing bullets, but I can at least try and cast a weak healing spell to try and stop the bleeding some until we can get to the next town and get you to an actual doctor." Lina said while placing a gentle but restraining hand on the half elf's shoulder.

"I can just wrap it up until we get to town, I'll be fine." Katibree said agitatedly. "No magic." She added pushing the redhead's hand off of her shoulder stubbornly.

The sorceress first glared at the half elf, and then at the wound that she was making worse by attempting to stand before whacking the larger woman over the head.

"OW, what the fuck Inverse?"

Sure, she whines about a bonk on the head loudly enough, but hardly makes a sound after being shot in the chest…The redhead thought to herself with amusement.

"Look Katibree, I know that you're already injured, but I'll gladly beat your ass some more if you don't stay still and let me heal you." Lina stated bluntly.

"What do you mean 'some more', that last shot I missed was a fluke…" The ex-assassin countered. _You know, I wouldn't put it past her either… I'd probably be better just do what she says for now… _Katibree thought to herself while locking eyes defiantly with the sorceress.

After a decent moment of playing the now all too common stare off game, the ex-assassin merely growled and eased herself backwards onto the ground conceding defeat this time.

_She's so pigheaded! _Lina fumed to herself as she attempted to cast a recovery spell to slow the bleeding and partially close the wound.

_I told her I'd be fine, she so damned stubborn…_The half elf bitched to herself. "This isn't going to take forever is it?" She grouched at Lina audibly.

"No, now shut your trap and let me concentrate… I don't want to close the wound too much if it's just going to have to be opened back up to get the slug out anyway..."

After a moment or so of silence between the two, the redhead stood up, "There you go Kat, and do you think you can stand?" She asked offering her hand to the half elf.

"Of course I can." Katibree growled through gritted teeth, determined to keep at least some of the pain that she was feeling out of her voice as she stood, while blatantly ignoring Lina's offer to help her up.

"Let's just go, OK?" The ex-assassin added before walking off in the direction of town and leaving Lina standing there with a slightly annoyed expression on her face.

_If she re-opens that chest wound with that stupid pride of hers before we make it to a doctor, I really __**am**__ going to beat her ass…_Lina thought to herself while finally dropping the hand she'd offered to help the ex-assassin up with in exasperation.

She stared after Katibree a moment more while rustling her crimson mane lightly, half in bemusement and half in frustration before finally sighing in resignation and jogging after the mostly platinum haired warrior to catch up with her.


	26. Chapter 26

Having finally made it to the doctors' office, Lina stood by as Katibree stripped her top layers of clothing down to her chest wraps, while waiting for the doctor to see them.

The sorceress stood with her arms folded and tapping her foot impatiently, while leaning against a wall by the curtained entrance to the room while the ex-assassin settled herself on the edge of the examination table.

As the two girls waited, the redhead scanned the dull, sterile surroundings of the room boredly until her ruby colored eyes were eventually drawn to the half elf, who was sitting patiently while swinging a leg back and forth casually.

_She looks pretty laid back to be sitting there with a hole in her chest…She can act as macho as she wants, but I know that she's in pain. _Lina thought to herself as her train of thought drew her gaze to Katibree's now bloodstained chest wraps. _Why does she keeps those things so tight anyway, it looks really uncomfortable… I've never actually seen her wrap them, but I'll bet that it's a pain in the ass to deal with too. _After mulling that over abit the sorceresses' eyes then strayed to the ruined mess of fabric where the bullet had struck the ex-assassin. _And that's another thing, I actually got a good look at one of those expended slugs the beast man gunner was using in his weapon when I ran back to get our weapons before we headed here…_(1) _And I'm pretty sure that it was made of lead…_

Just then, Katibree looked over at the sorceress having felt the redhead's eyes on her.

"What's up Red?" The half elf asked lightly.

Lina looked at the half elf uncomprehendingly a moment before answering. _Was I staring…? Oops… _"…It's just that I'm starting to wish I'd chanced digging out the bullet myself now is all." "It's amazing that you aren't already showing signs of lead sickness as it is…" The sorceress explained, doing her best to try and keep at least some of the concern out of her voice.

"Oh come on Lina, you worry too much." The ex-assassin chuckled dismissively.

Before the redhead could respond back, the curtains at the entrance to the room were pushed aside and a female doctor entered through them.

"Hello ladies, my name is Rumiel and I'll be your medicine woman today." "I understand that there is a gun wound to be treated?"

Both girls nodded at her simultaneously.

"Alright, let's see what we have here then." Rumiel said while making her way over to Katibree

"These wraps are extremely tight, would you mind if I just cut them to speed the process along?" the doctor asked.

"Be my guest, they're ruined now anyway." The half elf replied casually.

"Very well then, here we go…" the medicine woman said as she lifted the fabric of the wraps slightly before producing a small blade from her pocket and cutting the chest wraps from the bottom upwards.

"Try not to move please, no need to create any new wounds to stitch up eh?" the dark haired woman joked lightly as she continued to neatly slice upwards through the blood-caked wraps.

"Well that won't be so bad for you right?" "It'll just fatten your coin purse all the more because you'd have to do extra work…" Katibree joked back distractedly.

The doctor's next reply to the half elf fell on deaf ears as the tips of her pointed ears began to redden in embarrassment with the sudden realization of the fact that her entire chest was about to be exposed not only to the doctor, but to a certain sorcery genius as well…

_Well that's… that's awkward… I mean, I guess Lina won't care so I shouldn't either…She takes baths and stuff with other girls without batting an eye. Well, that's all fine and dandy for her, but it becomes a totally different issue when you happen to have an affinity for the gender that you're being exposed in front of - -_

Just then, the ex-assassin's uneasy train of thought was cut off by a sharp tearing noise as her formerly heavily constrained breasts finished the doctor's work, forcing the last of the uncut fabric to tear loudly, while springing out from their confines triumphantly and bouncing slightly.

Katibree merely covered her face with her hand as both Rumiel and Lina stared at her breasts in shocked silence. _Fucking perrrrrfect…way to make an entrance._

The medicine woman was the first to break the silence.

"How in the **world**did you breathe with that thing on?!" she blurted.

"I guess they really wanted out…" the half elf said through her hand quietly while chuckling with a mixture of mortification and amusement.

Lina simply continued to stare with her ruby colored eyes as large as saucers and her mouth partially open, incapable of verbal speech at the time.

_I could tell she had **something** under there but… they're **BLUE**… I mean, I'm assuming the **rest** of her is too of course but…I-I just guess that I've never seen **blue** breasts before… I mean, I **know** I haven't before but- - And they're fricking **HUGE**! How the hell did she stuff those things in there like that? I mean, not Naga huge but… that color just makes them look larger than life…! _(1)

_Hey, maybe I should try painting mine… _The redhead added as an afterthought.

Rumiel cleared her throat quietly before speaking again.

"Please pardon my reaction, it's just that I've never had that particular part of the anatomy aid me in surgery prep before.." The doctor explained teasingly as she deposited Katibree's abused chest wraps into the trash.

The half elf merely rolled her lavender eyes at the sound of Lina's muffled laughter. _At least one of us is enjoying themselves…_

"Alright, there's no exit wound so the bullet is embedded correct?"

Both girls nodded affirmatively.

"And how old is the wound?"

"An hour and 24 minutes" / "An hour or so." The sorceress and half elf chimed simultaneously before turning and giving each other odd looks.

"I only healed it enough to slow the bleeding." Lina added.

"I see, well first things first…" "I'm going to need you to drink a glass of this." Rumiel said while pouring Katibree a large cup of multi-colored liquid. "It's the closest that we have to a painkiller right now, other than casting a sleep spell on patients." She added.

The ex-assassin took the cup of liquid while gazing at it warily before finally glancing over at Lina doubtfully.

"As much as you like to drink, you'll absolutely love this stuff Kat." The redhead replied to the half elf's silent question.

That being said, Katibree downed the entire contents of the sizeable glass without another thought.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, after the painkiller has taken affect ladies." The doctor said before exiting the room briskly.

_She could have at least left me something to cover up with if she was going to leave me sitting here for a while… _The half elf thought to herself somewhat self-consciously.

Noticing the ex-assassin's discomfort snapped Lina out of her 'blue-haze' and she finally averted her eyes, embarrassed by the fact that she'd found herself blatantly staring at Katibree once again.

_I guess I really should be more considerate… Up until this point, Kat's pretty much gone out of her way not to bathe with or even really change clothes in front of me. I don't see any scars or anything, but that is a pretty cool tattoo…_

_The only reason I can come up with for her being so shy is just the fact that she's not used to this sort of thing… She definitely doesn't have anything to be ashamed of._

_Come to think of it, she even acted all weird that day she accidentally interrupted my bath at the lake. She was backing away like she expected me to fry her like some pervert guy that had just snuck over to the girls' side of the hot springs or something…it's kind of odd, because at that point I'd already invited her to come bathe with me in the past…_

Lina snuck another look at the half elf, who was currently staring up at the ceiling expressionlessly with her arms folded in front of her chest. _Maybe she just didn't put two and two together so she thought that I'd be angry with her…but that really doesn't seem like the type of thing that Kat would miss._

_Either way, the lady is taking forever to come back. _The redhead thought while shrugging herself off of the wall that she had just been leaning on and beginning to remove her cape. _I really can't understand what Kat thinks she has to be so shy about, I'd **kill** for a figure like that… blue boobs included! _The sorceress sulked to herself as she handed her cape to the ex-assassin while doing her best to keep her eyes averted.

"Thank you." The half elf said in a barely audible voice. _It's times like this that make me wonder what else Lina picks up on but doesn't say or do anything about. _Katibree thought to herself while shifting on the examination table uneasily.

"Sure thing Kat." "So what's up with that tattoo between your shoulder blades anyway?" Lina added in an attempt to lift the ex-assassin's spirits, or at least divert her mind somewhat from the fact that she was half naked…

"Oh, that's just the mark of the 'Ethereal Daggers,' everyone in my guild has one." "The mark is added to and altered as a member goes up in rank." Katibree explained as she draped Lina's cape over the front of herself gratefully.

'_Ethereal Daggers' huh? _Lina noted to herself. "Well, tattoos are permanent, so what happens if someone goes and gets themselves demoted?" the sorceress asked with growing interest.

"Then they're hunted down and killed by the other members of the guild." The half elf replied matter-of-factly.

"That sounds pretty harsh." Lina replied.

"Yeah, well it's a harsh buisnish…" Katibree slurred as her lavender colored eyes suddenly began to lose focus.

"Buisnish?" The redhead repeated with an amused look on her face.

"Whoa, I'm just… wasted all a sudden…! Katibree chuckled before flopping backwards on the examination table. "Room's shpinin'!" she added with a barely restrained giggle.

"I thought you might like it, ya big lush…" Lina teased while taking a seat on the edge of the table herself.

"They should call this shit 'Insta-drunk'!" "I'm sho totally buying a bottle of this stuff for the road!"

"Nice try Kat, but it's not for sale to the public." The redhead laughed.

"Awww, that's horseshi- -"

"It appears that the tonic has taken affect…" Rumiel observed as she re-entered the room, interrupting the two girls' conversation.

"Boy, has it ever." Lina giggled while glancing down at what was most likely the least serious ex-assassin in the entire world. _I don't think that I've ever actually seen her truly laugh or smile without holding back at all until now, she should really do it more often. _The sorceress thought to herself with satisfaction as she left the half elf's side to take her former spot against the far wall once again.

"Woo!" Katibree exclaimed as she whipped Lina's cape off of herself before rolling it up and tucking it underneath her neck. "Time ta get teh lead out!" she added with a laugh.

"Indeed." The medicine woman chuckled as she laid out a few small tools on the examination table before leaning over the ex-assassin to get to work.

The actual procedure only took 15 minutes as Rumiel explained to the girls that the lead slug had glanced off of the side of Katibree's sternum and shattered into a few pieces, but nothing vital had been damaged as she removed the shards before stitching the half elf up.

"Just watch her and make sure that she has no symptoms more serious than a fever tonight, anything other than that most likely indicates serious lead sickness and you'll need to bring your companion back in." the dark haired woman explained to Lina further as Katibree got dressed behind them.

"I'll keep a close eye on her then, thanks doc." The redhead replied while handing the medicine woman her payment before turning to leave.

"Ready to go Kat?" she called over her shoulder.

"Mkay."

The two made their way across town to an inn that Lina had long ago scouted as the best one for the least amount of coin and checked into a room.

(K) "Mmmmmm, this bed looks soooo comfortablesh." Katibree gushed as she literally launched herself onto it and buried her face into one of the pillows, nuzzling it.

"Come on Kat, try not to tear your stitches before morning OK?" "I probably still won't have full use of my powers until then to cast the proper healing spell. The sorceress said while doing her best to stifle a laugh. _Gods she's so lit!_

The ex-assassin's muffled reply through her pillow was incomprehensible, much to the redhead's exasperation.

Lina sat down on the bed with a small sigh before grabbing her own pillow and clubbing the half elf over the head with it.

The smaller girl smiled at the sound of muffled protests before walloping Katibree once more.

"I can't understand you, get your face out of the pillow already." The sorceress laughed.

The ex-assassin flipped onto her back grabbing for Lina's fluffy weapon of choice as she reiterated her prior statement.

"I **said** why do you have to use magic for everything?" "Why not just let it heal on it'sh own?"

The redhead snatched the pillow back and just out of Katibree's reach before placing her free hand on the half elf's forehead, shoving it playfully and causing the larger girl to lay / fall back down onto the bed.

"Because I think that it would be better for you to be at 100 sooner than later.." "And on top of that, you never really explained to me why you have such a problem with me using my magic all the time to begin with." Lina replied. _We constantly go back and forth about this, I really don't see what the big deal is…_

"Fine just go ahead, but I'd prefer you to do it while I'm asleep if possible." Katibree said as she sat back up in bed and finally began removing her cloak.

The sorceress merely blinked at her in disbelief a few moments. _That's it? She never gives up on this without some type of resistance… she **hates** it when I try and heal her…_

"Ok well… are you going to at least tell me why you always have a problem with it to begin with then?" the redhead asked hopefully.

"Let's just say that… I'd don't care to be that close to your magic if I can help it." The half elf replied, blushing visibly as she finally managed to remove her cloak and fold it sloppily before placing it on the chair next to the bed.

_Was she just blushing or was that the booze…? It's hard to tell… _Lina's train of thought trailed off slightly before dropping completely off of the map as her ruby colored eyes were drawn to the sudden shock of blue cleavage virtually spilling out of the low cut, black leather tunic that the older girl had been wearing underneath her cloak.

_I…I've just gotta ask… it's killing me……And why's it getting so hot in here all of the sudden…? _The redhead thought to herself with some agitation while standing to remove her cape and gemmed shoulder guards, tossing them wherever she fancied to at the moment.

"Hey Kat..?" the sorceress finally asked while sitting back down on the bed slowly and doing her best to avoid making eye contact with the half elf at this point.

"Sup Red?" the ex-assassin asked before flopping backwards on the bed once more and maneuvering herself onto her side to face the redhead inquisatively.

"Well its…uh…I was wondering - -"

Lina's word's caught in her throat and she turned beet red as she caught the movement of quivering cleavage out of the corner of her eye, triggered from the aftermath of Katibree's latest 'bed flop'. She cleared her throat loudly and pivoted on the bed turning her back to Katibree hurriedly while struggling to regain her composure.

_What the hell is wrong with me tonight? It's not like I've never had to put up with obnoxiously jiggling breasts before... What am I wigging out about, it's just a simple question so asked the damn thing! _The redhead exclaimed to herself angrily.

"Lina…?" the half elf asked unsure that she even should.

"I…I was just wondering why you always wear those stupid mummy wraps all of the time…" the sorceress finally managed, giving the ex-assassin's chest a last reflexive glance before standing suddenly to go open a window.

_Mummy wraps? _Katibree wondered to herself while following the redhead's quick glance just now to her own cleavage.

"Oh, you're still thinkin' sbout the boob-in-the-box effect from earlier?" The half elf asked as she shifted her weight on the bed to keep the sorceress in her blurry line of sight.

Katibree's only reply was a muffled snicker from the redhead.

(K) "Yeah, I guess the expression on the doctorsh' face was pretty classic huh?" The ex-assassin added before descending into a fit of unchecked laughter.

"I don't think… the expressions on our faces… were much better…!" Lina chimed in while beginning to laugh so hard that all she could do was support herself with one hand on the windowpane while holding her stomach with the other.

"Ow, ow, ow it… hurts…" The redhead giggled in between gasps as she staggered toward the bed. "Move it or lose it Kat!" She managed to add before sprawling out on the bed as soon as the half elf was clear.

After both girls had gotten their laughter under control once more, Lina tried again.

"But seriously Kat, it looks really uncomfortable so why do you do it all the time?"

"It's for combat." Katibree replied simply.

"Combat, what does kicking people butts have to do with your breasts?" the younger girl asked doubtfully. _She can't be **that** drunk…_

"Ok, you've seen me fight rights?"

"Yeah, several times."

"And you know how fast I move?" the half elf persisted.

"How could I not?" the redhead replied.

"Well then, you've seen me sprint and just suddenly turn on a silver piece and start sprinting in a completely different directionsh then right?"

Lina looked over at the mostly platinum haired warrior with an odd expression on her face before finally nodding again. _Where's she going with this?_

"Well without my wraps, I still stop on a silver piece… but my boobs just keep… going in the same direction that I was headed in before I stopped…" the ex-assassin said with a resigned sigh.

The sorceress just stared at the half elf in disbelief a moment as what she had just been told sunk in. _She's gotta be yanking my chain…_

"You don't know the _meaning_ of the word 'uncomfortable' until you've suffered from 'titty whiplash'." Katibree finished sleepily.

_L-Sama, she's serious!! _Lina lost it, rolling around on the bed before finally falling on the floor still howling with laughter.

"Titty…Whiplash…!" she gasped in between stretches of hysterical laughing.

"Yeah laugh it up Red, you can take yourself and your nice, perky, little boobs and go find something 'uncomfortable' to sit on." The half elf yawned.

The redhead's laughter cut off abruptly.

_Did she… Did she just say that my breasts were…?_

Lina scrambled up to an upright position, poking her head up and back into the ex-assassin's line of sight, while peering over the bed at her.

"Hey Kat what…what did you just say?" _I **have** to have misheard that; none **ever** has anything **nice** to say about the size of my chest…_

Katibree opened a lavender eye groggily, squinting it in an effort to see the sorceress clearly and failing miserably. "About you needing to find somethingsh to sit and spin on?" she slurred sleepily.

"HAWH!" the redhead exclaimed _**face-faulting **_**"NO** not THAT, the thing you said right **BEFORE** that!" Lina exclaimed, getting back up as quickly as she'd fallen over.

"The 'titteh whiplash'?"

"After that…" the redhead said stifling a giggle. "It's was about my…well you know..." She finally managed while blushing profusely.

"Oh, your perkies?" Katibree asked, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch.

"…Yeah, those." Lina affirmed quietly, with her ruby colored eyes now downcast.

"What 'bout em?"

"Well… you don't think that they're…?" The sorceress trailed off her question, unable to bring herself to finish it.

"Too small?" the half elf finished for her.

"Yeah…" The redhead replied in what was practically a whisper.

"Fuck no!" Katibree laughed, "They're perfect for yoursh figure!" "Swell n apexes are just right too…" The ex-assassin's analysis of the younger girl's chest size trailed off as she began to snore softly.

_Swell and apexes, what the heck are those? **HEY**, did she just **pass out** on me?!_

"_**DAMN**_ **it**, **Kat**-**I**-_**BREE…**_ you can't just… you can't just say something like **that** without **explaining** it and then just fall _**asleep**_!" "_**WAKE**_ _**UP**_!" Lina shouted, shaking the snoring half elf vigorously.

_She's completely out… _The redhead thought to herself dejectedly.

"Hoooownn, this isn't fair!" she groaned to herself quietly. _And I still don't know what those two words mean either… Well I know what swell means, just not in reference to a breast… And on top of that I seriously doubt that I'll have the guts to ask her about it in the morning, I had a hard enough time talking about that kind of stuff to her when she was **plastered**…_

_If this Inn doesn't have a dictionary somewhere… I just might get **violent**!_


	27. Chapter 27

Katibree awoke the next morning, opening her luminous lavender eyes slowly before blinking at the ceiling of the Inn room a few times groggily. _I don't even remember falling asleep… hell, I hardly even remember getting here last night. It's all one big blur…I can't believe how potent that stuff was, it knocked me on my ass like I was some kind of light-weight. _

_Well, as drunk as I was last night all I can do is hope that I had the good sense to keep my tongue in check…I'm assuming I didn't do or say anything too stupid considering that I'm still alive and in good health. _The half elf thought to herself with an amused chuckle.

Lina looked over from her reading at the sound of the mostly platinum haired warrior's laughter.

"So you're finally awake huh, Kat?" "Your fever just broke an hour ago." The sorceress said yawning sleepily as she closed the book that she had been reading.

_Did she stay up all night just to check up on me? Well, that was nice of her…but I really don't think it was necessary. _"Yeah, I'd say good morning but it doesn't even look like you've been to sleep yet." The ex-assassin replied while sitting up and examining her chest wound (or lack there of one). _She healed me while I was asleep? That figures - - hey, I don't remember changing out of my gear and into this nightshirt, I'd remember that much at least…_"Uh Lina, did you…?" Katibree began to ask but trailed off before finishing her question.

"Oh, your gear?" The sorceress asked. "Your fever got pretty high at one point so I changed you into something cooler, besides most of our stuff was filthy and needed to be repaired so I just sent it down to the cleaners and tailors while you rested." She added.

The half elf just stared at the redhead with an expression on her face that Lina couldn't quite make out. _She changed my clothes, took off my weapons and everything else, and I just slept through all of it like a baby? I-I must be slipping or something… drunk or not, I always wake up the moment I'm touched to defend myself…It's just a reflex that I've had for as long as I can remember… So why didn't she trigger that?_

_I'm sure that if I'd tried to deck or kill her at some point during the night, Lina probably wouldn't be quite so pleasant this morning- -_

"What?" Lina asked bewilderedly after squirming uncomfortably under the half elf's luminous gaze a few moments. _What's that look all about? Is she… mad or something…? I tried not to look and everything while I did it…_

"…Never mind, just try not to make a habit of doing that, OK Red?" Katibree said while standing from the bed and stretching in a mock display nonchalance. "What were you reading anyway?" The ex-assassin added in an attempt to get her own mind off of her previous decidedly disconcerting train of thought.

"Oh this, it's just a dictionary." The redhead said as she reached over and placed the book on the nightstand near the bed. _Well, she's not back to calling me by my last name again, so I guess she's not that mad about it…_

"You were reading the dictionary." The half elf deadpanned.

"Yeah, I had to do something to keep myself awake all night, I worked on the new incantation for the talismans a little bit too though. Lina added sheepishly. _I wonder how much she actually remembers about last night. Not much I'm guessing, she was pretty hammered… I probably shouldn't tell her about that compliment she gave me right before she passed out then, it'd just embarrass the both of us. But drunk or not…_

"…You couldn't find anything more interesting to read than the dictionary?" The half elf persisted once again in disbelief.

"Oh it was plenty interesting at the time I decided to pick it up." The sorceress said evasively while fluffing her pillow with an oddly content looking smile on her face. "Anyway I'm beat, so what do you say you keep yourself occupied with something while I catch a couple of hours of sleep before we hit the road again Kat?"

That being said, the redhead curled up with her previously fluffed pillow and drifted off to sleep with the slightest touch of that same strange little smile on her lips.

Katibree merely stood there gazing in confusion at the now sleeping sorceress for a long moment. _What's up with her today? Lack of sleep I guess…_

Just then the ex-assassin's lavender colored gaze fell on a medium sized bowl with a rag draped over the side of it next to the dictionary that Lina had placed on the nightstand.

_Right… she was up all night tending to and wiping the brow of her 'sickly half elf'._

_It's kind of hard to see someone who can obliterate an entire kingdom with the snap of her fingers as being that maternal, but it's always one surprise or another with Lina. _She thought to herself while running a hand through her mostly platinum colored mane and blushing with embarrassment as she walked over to ring out the rag before empting the bowl itself in the bathroom basin.

That having been done, she started her bathwater and headed back out into the room to grab a towel, picking the redhead's shoulder guards up off of the floor absently and placing them on one of their traveling packs as she went.

_I really hate the thought of being babied and normally I'd be furious but, I'm really not sure how I feel about much of anything lately. I mean it was really nice of her to do that for me, but why did she even bother? I would have been fine if she'd just… Fuck, I don't know what to think anymore. _The half elf brooded to herself as she made her way back to the bathroom and began to undress.

_I've never really dealt with anything like this before… I mean assassins don't trust, and so they don't have any real friends, just acquaintances and business partners. _The ex-assassin continued while stepping into the steaming water and sitting down with a slight slosh as the water was disturbed.

_Well, as much as I hate to admit it, Lina's definitely become more to me than some business partner or acquaintance… I guess I consider her a friend now, although I'm not sure when exactly it is that the transition happened. _The mostly platinum haired warrior pondered to herself as she leaned back in the tub with another deep sigh.

_We've been traveling together for close to a month now and have hardly ever even been out of each others' sight for more than a few minutes at a time, so I've really gotten to know her in that period of time… I suppose bonding to some degree under circumstances like that is pretty much inevitable. _

_Either way, we're more than a week and a half behind scuedule now._

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Lina was looking for excuses to get side tracked from getting back to her home town so quickly." Katibree laughed to herself audibly as she reached for some soap and began to work up a thick lather on her smooth blue skin.

_As it stands, this town is only like a day and a half to a day away from there, so we'll get to Zephilia soon enough, and after that we can head to my side of the barrier._

_I am somewhat grateful for this whole thing taking longer than it was supposed to though, I'd be lying if I said that I was eager to get back to the Guild Hall…I really don't want to go, but I have to see it for myself, I owe my guild mates that much at least..._

The ex-assassin broke her train of thought momentarily as she worked some shampoo into her platinum and crimson colored hair while squeezing her eyes shut to prevent any soap from entering them.

_It's still hard to wrap my head around this whole situation I'm in the middle of at times. Up until a month ago I wasn't even sure if all of this stuff that I'd read about was even true or just legend. Gods, Monsters, demons, magic powerful enough to destroy entire cities; it's all just so wild. _She continued to brood to herself as she rinsed her hair and body off before getting out of the tub and draining the water from it.

The half elf gave herself an almost feral shake, sending droplets of water flying in every direction before resorting to the towel to begin drying herself the rest of the way.

_It's enough to make someone want to go insane, but I guess it's different for Red… _"She grew up with all of this crazy shit as a regular part of her life". Katibree added audibly as she put on a fresh nightshirt and undergarments (bra included this time), before rummaging around in the pack opposite the one that Lina's shoulder guards were sitting on for a hairbrush.

The sight of the red gemmed shoulder guards compelled the ex-assassin to steal a glance at the sleeping sorceress who had made her way to the center of the bed and was now curled up there snoring softly.

The scene drew a soft chuckle from the half elf, who made her way over to the bed and retrieved the bunched up blanket from the foot of the bed, draping it over the redhead.

She then sat down on the bed herself, before tentatively scooting over to being within an inch or so from the smaller girl's back.

After giving Lina one last lingering glance, Katibree set to the task of brushing her hair with a sigh that sounded much more content than she would have liked, causing her to flush slightly.

Her blush only deepened when the redhead, apparently sensing the nearby warmth of the mostly platinum haired warrior, turned over in her sleep and snuggled up against Katibree, before draping an arm over the flustered half elf's lap with a wordless murmur.

'_Wreckage and chaos in her wake' indeed. _The ex-assassin thought to herself while looking down at the redhead fondly.

Later on that day…….

"It's good to be on the road again, huh Red?" Katibree said as the two girls made their way out of town and in the direction of Zephilia.

"Yeah it is, but we weren't even in town for an entire day Kat, you must really hate civilization." Lina replied with a giggle.

"Yeah, well what are ya gonna do?" The half elf joked back with her best imitation of the sorceress while giving a careless shrug.

After walking for a few minutes, Katibree was the first to break the silence.

"Hey Lina, I've been thinking…"

"That's nothing new." The sorceress teased. "So what's up?" She added.

"Well, were basically targets right now, so the Monster race is probably doing their best to keep track of where we're going and what we're doing right?"

"Yeah, but honestly I don't think that the **entire**Monster race is involved with or even knows about this whole thing just yet." "Either way, what did you have in mind Kat?" Lina replied.

"Ok, well you're pretty famous around these parts so all the Mazoku have to really do is ask a couple of people in any town whether they've seen you or not and track our movements that way…" the ex-assassin mused.

(L) _She's got a point there, yeah._

"So I was thinking that maybe you should change your appearance." Katibree finished.

"Change my appearance." The redhead repeated. "And just how do you suggest I go about doing that Kat?" She deadpanned with some amusement.

"Just hear me out!" The half elf said, stifling a laugh. "When everyone thinks of you they think 'sorceress', so why not just get a mercenary's outfit or something and wear that while we're traveling?"

"A mercenary outfit?" Lina mused quietly. _Well my father was one... And Gourry was too before he met me… I guess that wouldn't be so bad. On top of that, I always kinda wanted to follow in Dad's footsteps anyway, Luna just got there first…_

"So, what do think?"

"I guess that wouldn't be so bad, it would certainly be a change of pace…" "Maybe we can pick something out on our way out of Zephilia, but I don't think that we really need to worry about disguises until then." The sorceress replied.

"Why do you say that?" the half elf asked.

"Well, Zephilia isn't just my home town, it's my sisters' as well and she's the Cepheid Knight…" "That basically puts Zephilia and the areas surrounding it underneath an unspoken type of protection." The redhead explained.

(K)_Lina's sister is THE Cepheid Knight, as in a piece of Cepheid's SOUL resides in her body? I'm starting to think that stepping foot back in Zephilia isn't that great of an idea…_

(L)"And on top of that, Zephilia is bordered by The Holy Kingdom of Seyruun too, so I seriously doubt that these Monsters that are after us will have the guts to even think about attacking us here." Lina continued.

"And hey…" The sorceress said suddenly."

"Hum?"

"We're talking about getting me a disguise but what about you Kat?" "What, you don't think that walking around with blue skin and red streaked hair that's so shiny that it looks like it's been forged by a blacksmith isn't conspicuous?" The redhead teased.

"Of course I have a tendency to stand out, but I've dealt with that all of my life and that's why I wear this." The ex-assassin laughed gesturing at her hooded cloak.

"And just how does walking around looking all creepy and suspicious help you draw less attention to yourself?" Lina asked while reaching over and flipping the hood up and over the half elf's head playfully.

"It may make me creepy and suspicious looking, but it also makes me **anonymous**, creepy and suspicious looking." "People can notice me all they want, but if I put my head down with this on, they can't see my face to identify me." Katibree replied while grabbing Lina's headband and yanking it down over her eyes.

"Yeah, that's real cute… Thanks for that Kat, really." The sorceress laughed while readjusting her headband. "Ok, since you have all the answers today…What kind of mercenary outfit do you think I should get then?" she added.

"Well, you definitely don't want anything too bulky or heavy, maybe just cured or studded leather." "And maybe you could get a second weapon to make the getup more authentic looking…" The half elf mused.

"Why get a second weapon?" Lina asked while raising a crimson eyebrow at the ex-assassin quizzically.

"That's simple, it's because people who duel wield are cooler than people who don't." Katibree answered with a smirk.

"Hawh, and you say I have an ego!" "Get over yourself already!" the redhead laughed while shoving the half elf.

"Don't hate me just because I'm awesome enough to use two weapons…" The ex-assassin continued to tease as she whipped out her blades and began to spin and flip them flashily.

"Blah, blah, blah… alright 'fingers', what color should the outfit be then?" Lina asked while rolling her ruby colored eyes at the half elf's shenanigans.

"Color, oh I don't know…" Katibree trailed off while re-sheathing her blades in a fluid motion. _She TOTALLY set herself up for this one… I just have to say it, I can't help myself…_"Well, if you really wanted to keep with traditions and all of that… as well as still give people some kind of clue as to who you actually are…" The half elf began coyly.

(L) _…She…She wouldn't **dare** say it…!_

"I think that it would only be fitting to wear the color of the prestigious title that you were given, I mean… every other Great Sage wears their color with pride…" The ex-assassin continued. _There she goes…kinda feels like she's got a 'Digger Bolt' charging this time. _Katibreethoughttoherselfwistfully

Lina just stopped walking completely and looked at Katibree, blushing more and more profusely as the half elf continued to talk.

(L) _I can't believe she knows about this…She can't say it…! I can't take it…I **HATE** that title…!_

"And you are an up and coming future Great Sage are you not, Lina The P- -"

"Kat-I-_**BREEE**_…" Lina began menacingly.

_Yup, that is indeed a 'Digger Bolt' and those really suck to try and out run..._ "Alright, alright, I'll stop!" The half elf chuckled while holding out her arms as if to ward off the seething sorceress approaching her.

The redhead walked up to the larger girl and stood mere inches from her with a stern expression on her face, before reaching out and slowly removing one of the half elf's blades from her belt, sheath included.

"Wha… wha--?" The ex-assassin stammered confusedly as she watched the sorceress.

The redhead backed several feet away from the half elf with that same stern expression on her face before finally stopping.

"What are you… doing Lina…?" Katibree asked suspiciously.

"Well, what did you expect Kat?" "If I'd just tried to snatch your blade off of your belt, I'd never have gotten it because you're too fast… so I had to confuse you first…" Lina explained while breaking into a dazzling smile. "Ray Wing!"

"Oh, you little shit…" Katibree said as she watched the redhead lift off and begin flying in the direction of Zephilia before finally running after her.

"Language Kat, you've only got one weapon now just like everyone else… So you're not 'cool' enough to curse anymore!" Lina shouted over her shoulder while clipping Katibree's weapon to her own belt with a laugh.

_Ever the fucking tactician! _"Give me my fucking blade **Inverse**; you can't stay up there **forever**!" The ex-assassin shouted to the redhead before running up the side of a tree and bounding over to a large branch as she began to jump from tree to tree in pursuit of the sorceress.

"Yeah I know, but you can't **run** forever either!" Lina called back while sticking out her tongue and pulling down an eyelid at the half elf currently bounding from tree top to tree top.

"Just **try** me Inverse, give me back my blade damn it!"

Lina merely laughed at this and picked up speed, the ex-assassin's anger egging her on.

The two girls kept their game up for hours, Lina sometimes flying at full speed with Katibree running below her or bounding from tree top to tree top off to the side of her. And occasionally she'd coast as the ex-assassin jogged after her.

_L-sama she's still right behind me… I didn't even push myself anywhere near this hard when I was on my way to Zephilia for the summons. Kat's definitely got some serious stamina and she's pigheaded to boot…_

_I still got enough juice to fly for at least another hour but- - _Lina's train of thought was cut off as her altitude suddenly dropped sporadically. After struggling to get her concentration back in check she continued her train of thought. _But, mentally I'm almost completely drained and it's getting almost impossible to keep concentrating on the spell to keep me in the air like I have been… I've got to touch down, because if I keep this up my control is just going to give out suddenly and I'm going to end up dropping like a rock. _Lina thought to herself with a laugh as she dropped in altitude once more and began to fly unsteadily in the direction of a nearby meadow.

_Wow, I can already see Zephilia off in the distance from here, oh I know this area! Talk about making serious time…! _The redhead thought to herself while coasting 10 or so feet off of the ground while preparing to touch down in the grass.

The sorceress was suddenly tackled from behind by Katibree just as her control finally gave out and the two girls went tumbling end over end through the grass for awhile before finally coming to a stop with the larger girl on top.

(K) "I told you… that you couldn't… out fly me." Katibree said in-between pants while reaching down and unfastening her weapon from Lina's belt and refastening it on her own before dropping her head down onto the redhead's chest and promptly passing out.

"Yeah, I guess you did say something to that affect." The sorceress giggled. "We made great time though at least right?" she added.

"Kat…?" _Did she just pass out on me? _Lina thought to herself as she raised her head slightly and reached up to brush aside some of the mostly platinum haired warrior's mane to get a good look at her face.

_She totally **did**, and after all that big talk and boasting too…_The redhead thought to herself as she dropped her head back onto the cool grass while smoothing out the half elf's hair absently. _Actually that doesn't seem like such a bad idea…I'm totally drained and it's so comfortable all of the sudden…_Lina mused to herself as the last effects of her adrenaline rush from the chase finally wore off and her eyelids began to droop.

_Doesn't seem like… that bad of an idea at all actually…_She finished before drifting off to sleep herself.


	28. Chapter 28

Lina scrunched up her face before finally opening her ruby colored eyes and blinking them as a particularly fat raindrop spattered on the bridge of her nose rudely. She went to wipe the moisture off of her face reflexively but froze when her hand met resistance.

Apparently the redhead had somehow managed to tangle her fingers quite thoroughly in a certain half elf's hair while she'd been asleep.

_Was I playing with her hair in my sleep or something? _The sorceress thought to herself blushing slightly as she tried her best to de-tangle her fingers without waking the ex-assassin to no avail. _Wha- - what is she…**doing**..??_ She exclaimed to herself, her blush deepening all the more.

(K) _I fell asleep? I'm still tired, and sore too…_Katibree thought to herself groggily as she buried her face a little further into her pillow and nuzzled it somewhat before freezing in her tracks- - _Pillow…? Oh Gods please don't let her be mad, please don't let her be mad…I'm too tired to be set on fire right now…_

Katibree lifted her head up off of Lina's chest carefully as her shocked lavender colored eyes met and locked with just as shocked ruby colored ones.

(K) "I….ah…" The ex-assassin stammered as she reached up to help Lina detangle her fingers from her own mostly platinum colored locks.

(L) "uh… eh, heh…"

(K) "………"

(L) "………um..."

Just then the rain, which had only been drizzling up to that point, began to come down in buckets. Both girls broke their uneasy eye contact with one another to look up at the sky as the torrent of rain poured down on the two of them, drenching them almost immediately.

Katibree stared at the sky a moment longer before looking back down at Lina and flashing her a dazzling smile before rolling off of the younger girl and onto her back while laughing.

The redhead looked over at the half elf with a bewildered expression on her face at first before finally joining in on the light hearted laughter herself.

The two girls laid side by side that way for a long while, just laughing and enjoying the sensation of the rain on their faces before a flash of lightning followed by the sound of thunder snapped them out of their impromptu moment of euphoria.

(L) "I'd say that's the prompt to get going." Lina said as she stood up with a grin.

Katibree merely looked over at the sorceress and nodded as she stood up herself.

"Come on Kat, I know a place we can go that's really close to here!" The redhead said cheerfully before taking off in a dead run toward the direction of what looked like an alcove of some type.

_Where does she get all this energy from, I don't think I can run anymore…_The ex-assassin thought to herself as she looked after the sorceress, but as tired as she was, the half elf soon found herself running to catch up with the redhead none the less.

(K) _What happened around here? Everything in this area is just… dead it looks like… _The mostly platinum haired warrior thought to herself as the two girls came to a stop at a rocky wall near a strange looking lake.

"Here it is." Lina said as she closed her eyes and placed a hand on a large rock protruding slightly from the wall, while murmuring an incantation quietly.

The rock moved forward and then rolled over to the side, revealing what looked like a good sized chamber of some sort.

"I practically lived in this place when I was a kid…" Lina explained as the two girls entered the stone room. "Watch your eyes Kat." Lina said before casting a light spell to get a general idea of where all of the various candles were placed around the room, before snapping her fingers to light them all and dispelling the light spell.

Katibree walked around tracing various runes and symbols that were written on the walls with her fingers in wonderment as the sorceress continued to talk.

"I came here to study and test out new spells mostly… But back then, that's pretty much all that I ever did." _And you're the first person that I've ever brought here._ The redhead thought with a quiet laugh as she watched the ex-assassin examining a huge magical circle drawn directly in the middle of the cave.

(K) "What's this circle all about, Lina?" "It's a lot bigger and more complex looking than any of the others in here." The half elf asked while kneeling and tracing the patterns with her fingers. _I can still feel some traces of magical energy from this…_

"That's actually kind of a long story..." Lina sighed as she opened the cave air vents before starting up the fire pit. "You can put all of your wet stuff here by the way." The sorceress said while gesturing at a few hooks hanging above what looked like a stone vent. "I designed this place so that the natural ventilation would suck up some of the heat from the fire pit and force it out over the clothes here."

(K) "The whole lay out of this place is amazing; you could have been an engineer, Red."

"No way, I don't have the patience for anything like this unless it's magic related." Lina laughed as she began to remove one soaked article of clothing after another.

(L) "Anyway, as far as that magic circle with all of the runes on it goes…" "It was for a ritual I did when I was younger." "I'm sure you noticed how creepy this whole area is, with everything being dead and all of that." Lina added.

The ex-assassin merely looked at her and nodded quietly from her position in the middle of the circle.

"Well the ritual did all of that…" "It kind of, just sucked the life energy out of everything in the general area of this place… it even killed the lake outside, nothing lives in there even to this day."

(K) "Sounds like some pretty hot stuff."

"Oh it was, and it was really stupid of me to try too, but I guess I came out of it OK minus a side effect or two."

"Side effects?"

"Yeah, I didn't always look like this Kat, if Naga saw me now; she probably wouldn't even recognize me…" Lina said quietly while finally stripping down to her bare essentials.

"Look like what?" Katibree asked, genuinely confused.

The redhead chuckled quietly before walking over to the half elf and sitting down in front of her. "Well my hair for one, was originally closer to mouse brown instead of flaming orange…" Lina explained while gesturing at the ex-assassin with a lock of her hair to stress her point. "If it gets any brighter, people are going to start thinking that I just… walk around with my head on fire all of the time or something."

The mostly platinum haired warrior couldn't help but laugh at this quietly.

"But, I guess that the biggest change was my eyes, and I know you've noticed those, everyone does…" They were closer to a chestnut color before the whole ritual deal." The sorceress explained.

(K) "And all these changes happened over the course of a few years?" Katibree asked.

"Yeah, a little over two actually… And I suffered some memory loss as well…" The redhead added.

"Well, did you get anything out of the deal that was useful?" The half elf asked finally standing and beginning to remove her own drenched articles of clothing.

"You could say that…" Lina answered evasively.

"Uh, Ok then…" _Can't begrudge a girl her secrets, Gods know I have more than one…_"Well what do you say we chow down on some water logged beef and chicken jerky over by that nice warm fire pit over there then?" Katibree said while hanging up her gear on the aforementioned hooks that Lina had pointed out earlier.

"That sounds like a plan Kat!" The sorcery genius laughed as she stood up. "I'll grab some blankets she added while still grinning.

The ex-assassin plopped a pack down wetly in front of the fire pit and began digging through it for the bag of jerky as Lina retrieved some blankets from a shelf that had been formed out of the stone wall.

The redhead draped a blanket around the half elf's shoulders before sitting down next to her and holding her hands out to warm them near the fire.

"Thanks Red." _That was nice of her… _Katibree thought to herself while blushing slightly.

"Hum…?" "Oh the blanket?" "No problem Kat…" Lina replied distractedly.

(K) "So, what are you thinking about right now?"

"Well, I'm not really thinking any thoughts right now…. They're closer to memories, flashbacks I guess you'd call them." "This place and I have quite a history together…" _And up until now, I'd always come here alone. I always kinda wanted to share it with someone but I guess… I was always kind of afraid of what someone else would think about me if they ever saw it…If the sorcerers' guild ever saw any of this stuff I'd be black listed for sure! _The redhead thought to herself with a smile as she watched the half elf who was tracing yet another rune on the floor of the chamber with her fingers.

"What does this one mean?" The ex-assassin finally asked.

"That one is just a compound rune, it's used to join other runes that wouldn't normally fit in an incantation together, the whole thing kinda works as a puzzle piece with endless combinations." Lina explained.

(K) "So this rune joins and activates these two?" Katibree asked while placing a hand on the symbols on either side of the middle rune.

"That's right." "Just keep your hands there, close your eyes and imagine your energy flowing out of you and into the runes." Lina instructed.

"Ok… I feel tingly…" The half elf said nervously.

"That just means you're doing it right." Lina giggled. "Now concentrate and say 'Nivos Servas' Infernium."

"Nivos… Servas'…" The mostly platinum warrior began before trailing off…

"Go ahead." The sorceress urged with a grin.

"…Infernium - - "Whoa!" She exclaimed as she snatched her hands away from the runes, causing the blanket around her shoulders to slip off when a surge of energy coursed out of her body and into them.

The half elf then watched in fascination as one after another, the symbols around the base of the fire pit began to glow until every rune surrounding it was lit. And she watched with even further fascination as the flames in the fire pit began to burn more intensely before beginning to change colors, alternating between blue and gold.

(K) _I… I did that…?_

(L) _I can't believe she got that on her first try, she's a natural… I'm really impressed. _"Look who's making magic now." Lina teased while elbowing the ex-assassin.

"I'll stick with my blades thanks." Katibree replied while picking up the now drying bag of jerky and tossing it in the redhead's lap.

"Hey Kat?"

"Yes Lina?"

"…How come you always let me get first pick of the food?" The sorceress asked quietly as she grabbed a piece of chicken jerky out of the bag.

_Do I…? I've never really thought about it…I guess it's because I know how much she enjoys eating…Her eyes light up like the sun itself whenever foods' mentioned…_

"Kat?"

"Hum…?" "Oh well it just because I'll know whether it's poisonous or not if you eat it first is all…" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied coyly.

WHACK!

"Ow!" "What??" Katibree laughed before reaching into the bag and grabbing a piece of jerky for herself.


	29. Chapter 29

(K) "The passage should be right around here." Katibree said while searching the stone wall that was heavily overgrown with vegetation with her hands.

"Where's it lead to Kat?" Lina asked.

"Right into the heart of the royal castle actually, it's an old emergency escape passage that Thomas gave me the royal crest to activate the door to." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied as she finally found the switch, releasing the latch to a well hidden stone door with a dry sounding click.

"So this is how you got into the castle undetected…" The redhead mused as she watched the stone door slowly grate open.

"No actually, I did that the good old fashioned way…"I did use this passage to escape afterwards... but only because it was a direct request from Thomas to do so." The ex-assassin added as she walked into the dark passage and began to run her hands along the mossy bricks lining the walls of its depths.

(L)_ That makes sense, she never did like doing things the easy way… _The sorceress thought to herself wryly.

"Here it is…" The half elf said while removing a loosened brick from the wall and pulling a medium sized box out from the opening left by the missing brick. "It's all here, the business transaction with Thomas, the blue prints for the hit, the crest… all the evidence you need is right here to close your investigation." She finished as she stepped back out of the passage, closing the door behind her.

Lina took the box and opened it, scanning the documents within for a few moments before placing them back in the box.

"This should definitely do it." "So, are you ready to head over and see The Queen then Kat?" The sorceress asked.

"Well… that's just the thing…" Katibree started before trailing off while fidgeting slightly with the tuff of hair at the tip of her braid resting on her shoulder.

"Is there something wrong?" The redhead asked confusedly.

"Well kind of, yes…" "I just don't think that it's the best idea for me to go with you to see The Eternal Queen is all." "I'd prefer not to step foot in Zephilia again just yet." The half elf explained evasively as they made their way back to the road.

"You don't have anything to worry about as long as you're with me Kat… I can personally guarantee you a pardon from The Queen herself." _What's she so worried about all of the sudden I wonder?_

"I understand this Lina, and I don't doubt what you're saying but… I'm just not… comfortable with the idea." The ex-assassin finally replied while averting her lavender eyes to avoid the sorceress's questioning ruby colored gaze. _I don't doubt that at all Red… it's your **sister** that I'm worried about…_

(L) "I….ah… well, Ok… If you feel that strongly about it then, I'm not gonna try and force you to or anything…" "I just don't understand…" _I know there's something that she isn't telling me… I can tell just by the way that she's acting. Well I'm not going to push her about it, she's been more than understanding with me when it comes to things that I don't care to talk about, so it's only fair that I treat her the same way…_

"Oh, never mind… but either way the docks to the outer barrier are on the opposite side of Zephilia, so how are we going to meet up again?" "This shouldn't take very long but, there's always a chance that there will be some type of hold up at the palace." The sorceress finally finished.

"I'll just make my way around to the other side of the Kingdom while you're taking care of business, and camp out right outside of the city if it takes longer than expected." "It won't be too hard for you to make out the smoke from the campfire if you're flying, as good as your eyes are." Katibree answered, finally bringing herself to make eye contact with Lina once again.

Lina placed a hand on her hip as she walked, looking up at the sky a moment while ruffling her crimson mane with the other hand in thought before finally responding to the half elf.

"Alright Kat, that sounds like a plan…" "But, I'll make sure that my room is facing in your direction if anything comes up." "The castle is really tall, so I'll just send you a light spell signal to let you know what's going on if there's a significant change in plans at all."

"Ok, what type of signals are we talking about here, Lina?" The ex-assassin asked.

"Well, I'll keep it right by my window and a slow blink will mean that there has been a change of plans; and just incase..., a rapid flash will signal some type of emergency."

(K) "And if everything goes smoothly… you'll just show up whenever." The half elf finished for her as they walked.

"You've got it!" Lina exclaimed cheerfully. "I'll at least stay at the castle overnight to give you a chance to make your way around to the other side of the Kingdom though." She added as they came to a fork in the path, one leading into town and the other continuing around the boarder of the city.

(L) "Well…. I guess… I guess that's that then…" Lina said while rubbing the back of her neck. _Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something...?_

"Yeah, the plans' pretty solid…" _Should I… hug her or something…? No, that's ridiculous…She's just going to deliver some information, not…leave forever. Shaking her hand would be kind of weird too though, now that we know each other so well…_

_Well, I feel like I should do…**something** before we part ways…_Katibree thought to herself, while looking everywhere but at the redhead standing in front of her and blushing slightly.

The two girls stood at the fork in the road that way for a few moments before Lina finally broke the uncomfortable silence with the sound of a loud THWACK as she assaulted a very shocked ex-assassin's back with her hand, causing the larger woman to stagger forward a step.

"See you in a bit, Kat!" "Try not to go and do anything too reckless before we meet up again on the other side of town OK?" The sorceress teased, while giving the recovering half elf her trademark Lina Inverse wink before walking off down the path leading to the gates of The Kingdom of Zephilia.

"Look who's talking!" The mostly platinum haired warrior laughed back, while rubbing the spot on her back that had just been ravaged. _Well, I guess that **does** count as doing **something**…_Katibree chuckled to herself before finally flipping the hood of her cloak over her head, hefting the sack on her shoulder, and taking off in a jog down the opposite path.

(L) _I didn't forget anything, I'm sure of it…Did I forget to **do** something then? **Gods** that's going to bother me all **day**._


	30. Chapter 30

Lina walked through the still opening massive double doors and headed straight to the throne where The Queen was sitting.

"Your Majesty, I think I have something here that you might want to see." The sorceress said as she presented the box that Katibree had given her earlier to The Queen.

"You work very quickly Miss Inverse." The matriarch said approvingly as she shooed an elite royal guard away, taking and opening the box herself. "You have apprehended the assailant I take it?"

"Not exactly your Highness." Lina replied.

The Eternal Queen looked up from the contents of the box to look at the redhead questioningly. "You were unable to catch him?"

"Actually it's a 'she', not a 'he', and there really wasn't a reason to apprehend her…" "She was hired to do the assassinations by one of the most trusted members of your high council." Lina explained. "All of the proof that you need is right there in the box, and now that everything has been taken care of… I'm pretty sure that Corbin won't have much of a problem telling you everything that went on himself." The redhead added.

"C-Corbin….?" "He is responsible for this…?" The matriarch stammered as she read through the documents. "So we have lived with a false sense of security all of these years… There was a spy right in the midst of the royal council all of this time."

The sorceress nodded in affirmation. "He didn't have enough proof to convict the spy and the guy she was bribing… so it would have just been his word against theirs for the most part, and the whole thing would have just turned into a big drawn out deal while Zephilia's advancement continued to suffer…" Lina continued to explain.

(Q) "And so… Corbin avoided the red tape all together by taking matters into his own hands." The matriarch finished for the redhead. _The penalty for treason is indeed death after all…_

The sorceresses nodded once again.

The Eternal Queen quietly asked a servant to go and bring Corbin Tomas to her immediately before continuing. "I understand, well if this is the case… then this 'assassin' has done my Kingdom a great service." "If you see her again, tell her that I officially grant her a pardon due to the extenuating circumstances of this situation."

"Sure thing." Lina replied giving the dictator a strange smile. "Oh yeah, and your Majesty…?"

"Yes, Miss Inverse?"

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me crashing out here one more night… All this running around has got me pretty beat!" the redhead laughed while rubbing the back of her neck in feigned embarrassment.

"Yes of course, I'd almost forgotten…" "The Cepheid Knight asked me to have her informed as soon as you arrived." "She wishes to speak with you." "She asked me to tell you to wait for her here, and that she would be here in a few days at the latest." The Eternal Queen said.

(L) _A few days? _"And let me guess, she wants me to stay on the castle grounds the entire time so that I'll be easier for her to find?" Lina asked with barely checked ire.

"Yes, in almost those words exactly I believe." The matriarch replied with more than a little surprise.

"…Well, if I'm going to stay here for a few days… would you mind if I picked out my own room this time?" The sorceress finally requested after taking a short moment to cool off somewhat.

"That's no problem at all Miss Inverse, I'll have someone sent up to prepare the room as soon as you've made your selection." The Eternal Queen answered.

"That's great, and was there anything else that you required your Highness?"

"That will be all Lina The Pink, and thank you for your help in this matter once again."

"Don't mention it…" Lina replied through gritted teeth before bowing stiffly and then turning to make her way out of the throne room.

_**First** Luna dumps this whole mess in **my** lap to begin with, instead of taking care of it **herself**. _The redhead fumed to herself as she made her way toward the North side of the castle.

_**Then** I bust my ass to get to this place, and she's not even **here** when I **arrive**… And **then** I handle this whole fiasco that was **her** responsibility to deal with to **begin** with in record time with **NO** **PAY**…And **NOW** she wants me to wait around on the castle grounds until she **FEELS** like showing up to **'speak'** with me… _The sorceress continued, working herself into a quiet frenzy as she walked.

"And NOW I can't even leave the castle to blow off some _**STEAM**_?!" She blurted audibly, startling a nearby servant and causing him to drop his cleaning supplies.

"Arrrrrrrrrgh!" She exclaimed while ruffling her crimson mane angrily and barely resisting the urge to fry the closest living thing in sight.

The sorceress forced herself to breathe deeply in an attempt to calm herself as she made her way to the higher levels of the castle to pick out a room. _Well… I guess this whole situation isn't all bad… I do get the full run of the castle and it's 'facilities' for a few days. And on top of that… if Luna hadn't pawned the investigation off on me, I probably never would have met Kat…_Lina mused to herself as she poked her head into a room that looked like it had a good enough view of the forest.

_Luna has never been much of one for words when it comes to fighting… Everything is always so black and white to her. She probably wouldn't have even heard Kat out… That is provided that Kat even tried to reason with my sister at all… They're both so damn pigheaded! _The sorceress laughed quietly to herself at this.

_That sure would be one hell of a fight though… but I seriously doubt that it would have a happy conclusion… Yeah, this room looks like it'll do. _Lina thought to herself while gesturing to the closest castle personnel to inform them of her choice.

_Either way, it looks like I'm going to have to find something to do to keep myself occupied for at least this evening and the rest of the day tomorrow…I wonder what the royal library has to offer…? I'm sure I can find plenty of interesting stuff there, but first things first… I'm STARVING! _The redhead thought to herself with a giggle as she made her way to one of the many lavish dinning areas.


	31. Chapter 31

(L)_ It's been a little over a day now and I can't sleep a wink, and on top of that I'm so… BORED! _The redhead brooded to herself as she leaned out the window of her room over looking the balcony while resting her head in the palm of a hand and staring out at the clear night sky. _Kat should have already made it to this side of the Kingdom's boarders by now…I know from personal experience that she can practically run forever. _

_I wonder what she's doing right now? Well… I guess that there has **technically** been a change of plans since I have to wait for Luna to show up now, so I guess I should signal her. _The sorceress reasoned with herself as she closed her ruby colored eyes momentarily to enjoy a cool breeze as it made its way into the open window, rustling her red tresses and nightgown softly.

_Hmmmm…let's see… it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the North gate to the castle… _Lina began to herself mischievously.

_So, how long would it take for a freaked out half elf to get here while still trying to be sneaky and avoiding all the guards…? _The sorceress finished to herself with a snicker as she casted the 'emergency' light spell signal and looked at the time on the clock on the wall across from her with a smirk.

"Time for some exercise Kat!" the redhead giggled audibly.

Out in the forests boarding the Kingdom, Katibree froze in mid blade stroke of her training routine as the distant rapid flashing of the light spell drew her immediate attention in the darkness.

The implications of what the signal meant filled her veins with ice water.

_Lina's in trouble?? _"SHIT!" The half elf exclaimed as she went tearing through the brush in a dead sprint, cutting branches and shrubs down that hindered her progress as she ran.

_That palace has got to have the **shittiest** security measures that I've ever **seen**! _She thought to herself as she gave the guard post a wide berth, sprinting around it to a high section of wall and jettisoning herself off of the side of a nearby tree and up to the top of the fortified wall, catching hold of the very top of it before pulling herself up and over it and dropping down on top of a building silently before booking it once again, bounding from roof top to roof top in the direction of the beacon.

As the ex-assassin neared the castle gates she skid to a halt and backtracked, pressing herself up against a nearby wall as two guards on patrol passed by chatting with one another.

The moment the two guards passed, the half elf got a running start and jumped the gate, dropping down on another guard and knocking her unconscious before making a b-line for the castle walls, using the grooves in-between the large bricks used to build the structure to scale the wall under the cover of darkness.

A few minutes later Katibree reached up and grabbed the ledge to Lina's balcony and slung herself over it, before jumping through the open window behind it head first and rolling to a stop in the middle of the room, breathing heavily with her blades unsheathed and glowing an angry red.

The half elf dispelled the charge on her blades reflexively at the sound of a very healthy and undistressed Lina Inverse's laughter. "Six minutes!" The redhead giggled, I'm impressed Kat!"

The mostly platinum haired warrior merely glared at the sorceress as she sheathed her weapons while sighing with exasperation. _Well at least she's OK…_

"Damn it, Inverse…" "You know I knocked out a palace guard on the way here right…?" "The entire fucking castle is going to be in an uproar now."

"Did the guard see who you were?" Lina asked still smiling.

"Of course not." Katibree huffed.

"Well then there's no need to worry!" The sorceress laughed. "Just stay the night and you can take off again tomorrow after everything has calmed back down some…"

The ex-assassin merely glared at her silently with her luminous eyes. _I was actually scared…I've never felt a feeling that horrible before…_

"Awwww, come on Kat don't be mad!" "I just… I just got bored and I… well, I wanted to see you…" "I didn't exactly make a signal for that, you know?" The redhead finished quietly with her ruby colored eyes downcast. _I didn't think she'd be **this** mad… _"And besides… there really has been a change of plans." She added even more quietly before looking up and giving the half elf her best puppy dog stare while twisting a lock of her crimson hair around her index finger.

(K) _I **hate** it when she makes that face…It's like she plays me like a fiddle as a hobby! This girl is going to be the fucking death of me... _Katibree brooded to herself while running her fingers through her mostly platinum locks in agitation. "OH, cut it out with the face **already**…" she finally exclaimed to the pouting redhead while throwing up her hands in exasperation before walking over and sitting down on the bed abruptly.

"So… you're not mad then…?" Lina asked hopefully.

"Fuck _**yes**_ I'm angry…!" The ex-assassin exclaimed. "But, I'll get over it." She added more softly. "Anyway, what's with this change of plans that you were talking about?"

"Oh, that…" The redhead said as she made her way over to the bed as well to sit down next to Katibree." "Well, I have to stay here now until my sister comes and talks to me about something." She began to explain.

"The Knight of Cepheid?" the ex-assassin asked without really needing to. _Perrrrrfect…_She thought to herself blandly.

"One in the same, Kat." The sorceress replied with a deep sigh. "The Eternal Queen told me that she'd be here to speak to me in a few days." She added.

The rest of the two girl's conversation was then abruptly cut off by a hurried knocking on the bedroom door.

"Just a second!" Lina practically shouted as she looked from the door back to Katibree (or at least where the half elf had just been.)

_I guess I should have expected that. _The redhead thought to herself wryly while watching the door to the bathroom shut quietly.

"Who is it?" She finally called to whoever was at the door.

"It's security Miss Lina The Pink." A muffled voice said through the door. "There was a disturbance on the castle grounds and we're making rounds, is everything alright?"

_Hum…I wonder who could have caused such a thing…? _The sorceress wondered to herself with giddy sarcasm. "Oh yeah, everything's just fine in here!" "Thanks for checking though…!" Lina added cheerfully.

"Very well, sorry to disturb you then Miss Inverse."

"It's no problem at all!" The redhead called back with a small laugh as she watched the bathroom door re-open as Katibree stepped back out into the room quietly.

(K) "So… what's with the books Lina?" The half elf asked as soon as she'd made her way back to the bed. "Looks like you're studying up on…" She trailed off as she began to pick up one book after another that had been sprawled out on the side of the bed unceremoniously.

She faulted a moment in surprise while raising a mostly platinum eyebrow in bemusement before continuing.

"Let's see here… 'Elven Heritage', The Customs and Practices of the Modern Assassin'… 'Elven and Half Elven….Anatomy'…?"

The ex-assassin looked up from the last book and stared at the wall blankly a moment before finally turning her head to look at the redhead… _I… I not sure whether to be flattered or… worried… _"What, were you planning to dissect me in the name of science or something Red?" The ex-assassin teased.

"No, it's nothing like that Kat!" Lina laughed while blushing profusely. "It's just that, you don't really like to talk about yourself… so I figured I'd just try and figure out some stuff on my own is all.

"With an anatomy book." The half elf deadpanned. "And I may be half elf Lina, but I was raised by humans for as long as I can remember…' "If that's what you care to call it." She added as an afterthought. _I don't even know what my biological parents look like…_

"Maybe so, but I have learned a couple of interesting things…" Lina countered.

"Oh, yeah?" Katibree asked doubtfully.

"Yeah." Lina shot back defiantly.

"Ok, so wow me with you're new found knowledge on the 'half elf assassin' Red." The mostly platinum haired warrior chuckled while placing her arms behind her head and lying back on the bed.

"Humph, well for one thing in the anatomy book, I found out that you heal faster than a normal human being but not nearly as quickly as a full blooded elf."

The ex-assassin merely rolled her lavender colored eyes disinterestedly at the redhead. "I've been trying to tell you that from the get go."

_Smart ass…Alright fine._ "And I found out another little fact that was particularly interesting about elves and half elves…" Lina said now crawling on the bed toward the half elf with a mischievous looking smile playing across her lips.

"Ehhhh…" _What is she doing…?_ The half elf wondered to herself while looking at the approaching redhead apprehensively.

"I also read that those cute little pointed ears of yours…" Lina said trailing off as she reached for Katibree's face.

_You've got to be shitting me…_

"…Are just **packed** with nerve endings… making them extremely sensitive to the touch…" "Now I don't know about you Kat… but that sure sounds like a **ticklish** spot to me!" Lina finally finished only managing to graze the outer ridge of the half elf's ear before the ex-assassin rolled away from the sorceress, falling off of the bed completely.

"You stay… far, FAR away from my ears Lina… that is NOT cool…" Katibree blurted while scooting even further away from the redhead cautiously. _Does she **not** know the meaning of **erogenous** zone… or did the **stupid** author of that book just **conveniently** leave that little bit of info out of it?? _"Seriously Lina… I'm not ticklish…" She added hurriedly.

"Well if that's the case, then all you have to do is stay still and let me play with your ears a minute to prove it." Lina replied teasingly as she rolled off of the bed herself and began to stalk the ex-assassin.

_She can't possibly have any idea how wrong that just sounded to me and still have said it with a straight face…_Katibree thought to herself as she continued to scoot away from the sorceress, the tips of her pointed ears beginning to redden.

"Aw come on Kat, a little laughing won't kill ya…" Lina said coyly as she closed the distance between them."

"I am SO leaving…" Katibree said as she jumped to her feet and headed toward the still open window while blushing vividly.

"Fine, fine… I won't tickle you then…" Lina giggled. "Jeez Kat, you're such a baby!" She added.

"I'm not ticklish." The ex-assassin reiterated. "I just… don't want you touching my ears Ok?" _First that 'Dragon Slave' and now this **shit**…_

_If she's not ticklish, then what's she getting all embarrassed about? _The sorceress wondered to herself.

"And let me see that book, Red…"

"Which one?" Lina asked.

"The anatomy one of course." The half elf replied.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you getting anymore weird ideas from it!" Katibree laughed.

"You willing to trade information for information?" the redhead propositioned as she clutched the book to her chest protectively.

"That depends on the information." The ex-assassin said cautiously as she sat back down on the bed.

(L) "Ok, will you… tell me why exactly you hate it so much when I use my magic all the time then?"

"Nope." Was Katibree's only reply as she began to remove her cloak, folding it and placing it in the drawer of the nightstand by the bed.

_Damn it. _"Ok, how about the reason you suddenly came up with my nickname that day back at the lake?" Lina persisted.

"Nope." The half elf laughed as she slipped off her boots, sliding them underneath the bed.. _She never gives up…_

_**Damn** it! What else can I ask her…?_

(K) "Why don't I just tell you a little bit about what I remember of my childhood growing up in the Guild for now huh, Lina?" The ex-assassin suggested before laying back on the bed once more and making herself comfortable.

Lina stopped and blinked at the mostly platinum haired warrior a moment. _I didn't think that she'd ever willingly talk about something that personal with me…_ "…Yeah, I think I'd like to hear about that Kat." The sorceress replied while placing the Anatomy book on the half elf's stomach before rolling over on her own stomach and propping herself up with her elbows, giving the ex-assassin her full attention.

"Alright then, let's see…"

The two girls stayed up all night talking until finally falling asleep sometime just before dawn.


	32. Chapter 32

Both Katibree and Lina awoke with a start at the sound of an armored hand pounding on the door to the bedroom.

"Who is it?" The redhead croaked groggily as the half elf stood up and smoothed out the impression of her body on the side of the bed that she'd been sleeping on before hurriedly grabbing her boots from under the bed and shoving Lina's books underneath it.

"It's me." Luna Inverse called through the door matter of factly.

Lina ruby colored eyes opened wide in barely checked panic at this, all prior thoughts of being tired instantly forgotten. "It's Luna!" she half hissed, half whispered to the ex-assassin. _I thought the Queen said a few days, I was just gonna have Kat take off tonight..! _The sorceress exclaimed to herself.

"Yeah, I can already feel her through the door…" "I thought you said she wouldn't be here for a couple more days." The half elf whispered back as she quietly opened a nightstand drawer and deposited her boots with the rest of her gear before closing it back.

"Well that's what the Queen said yeah…" Lina whispered back. _Well… I guess she did say **within** a few days… not just a few days… _She thought to herself somewhat sheepishly. _Kat doesn't have to know that though… _"Just a second Luna!" The redhead called audibly as an afterthought.

The mostly platinum warrior merely rolled her eyes with a small sigh before grabbing her blades from under her pillow and making her way to the bathroom before shutting the door behind her silently. _This is **exactly** the type of thing that I was trying to **avoid**!_

The sorceress smoothed her crimson mane some before making her way to the door and taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly before finally opening it. "Heya sis!" She said cheerfully.

The Cepheid Knight, standing in the doorway in full holy plate armor looked down at the smaller girl and gave her younger sibling a slow once over before finally speaking. "What are were you… doing just now that… took so long?" Luna asked slowly.

"Oh I just woke up!" The sorcery genius laughed. "You wouldn't want me to answer the door butt naked right?" She embellished as she stood in the doorway with one hand on the door knob and the other rubbing the back of her neck.

_I suppose there's nothing strange about that… Lina is 19 now after all. But she's always been so modest about her body in the past…Even alone I really find it tough to imagine her willingly sleeping nude…_The warrior pondered to herself silently. "Well anyway, do you intend to conduct our conversation from your doorway, sister?" She asked while peering over the redhead's shoulder and into the room with some suspicion. _She is acting a bit peculiar today…_

"Oh… uh no, I guess not… eh heh." Lina laughed more nervously than she would have liked before opening the door to the room completely and stepping aside to allow the Cepheid Knight to enter before closing it once more. _If I keep this up, I'm totally going to blow Kat's cover! I've got to try and relax some…_

Luna walked inside of the room and took in the surroundings of it deliberately. Soon enough her own ruby colored gaze fell on Lina's traveling gear sitting on top of a dresser, neatly folded with her gemmed shoulder guards on top. _When did she start cleaning up after herself? The sister I used to know would have that stuff strewn all over this room and then complain about not being able to find something in the morning… I suppose she really **is** maturing… _The warrior thought to herself with bemusement as she walked over and sat down on the side of the bed that Katibree had been sleeping on only moments earlier.

Lina walked over and sat down directly next to the larger woman, doing her best to act nonchalant. "So what's up?" She asked lightly. _I'm glad that Luna has on her armor today… I can still feel the heat from where Kat was just laying... She runs as hot as a water steamer, but I guess I'm really not one to talk… _Lina thought to herself sweat dropping

"Right, I've come here to tell you that I've been working on investigating rumors of a ancient relic sighting from the Resurrection War over 100 years ago." "In the process of doing that, I came across an odd prophecy that more and more priestesses of The Temple of Cepheid are beginning to predict…and I believe it may involve you, Lina." The Knight finished with a sigh.

(L) _Oh, come **on**… not **this** **CRAP** **again**! _"Well, what does it say then." The sorceress sulked.

"I'm sorry Lina, but I'm not at liberty to tell you anymore just yet - -

Suddenly Luna jumped to her feet with her hand on the hilt of her long sword, her plate mail clanking loudly. _Cepheid just sensed something that disturbs him nearby…_The holy warrior closed her ruby colored eyes and concentrated a moment. _I can sense it too, but only faintly…_

"Um… Luna…?" Lina asked unsurely.

"Not right now sister." Was the Knight's only reply as she slowly unsheathed her long sword before striding toward the bathroom door deliberately.

_Does she sense Katibree or something…? But how?? Hooowwn this can't be happening…_Lina thought to herself anxiously. _It'd be totally suspicious if I try and stop her from going into the bathroom… _

The warrior leaned against the door and put her ear against it a moment with a grim expression on her face. _I can't sense anything anymore… but I'm certain it came from in here. _The Cepheid Knight thought to herself.

_Kat's not going to want to answer any of the questions that my sister's going to ask… And the situation will probably escalate too quickly for me to even get a word in! _The redhead continued to herself franticly.

After pressing her ear to the bathroom door for what seemed to Lina like forever, Luna placed a plated hand on the doorknob while stepping to the side of the door slowly and beginning to turn the knob with her free hand.

_L-sama, what am I going to do if these two start fighting…? **Gods** this is a **nightmare**!_

Luna jerked the bathroom door open and quickly pressed herself to the side of the wall next to the door again, incase anything or anyone decided to attack before slowly peering around the doorframe into the bathroom. _I don't see anything…_

Lina, who hadn't realized that she had been holding her breath up until now, let it out in a quiet, shaky sigh as The Knight of Cepheid slowly made her way into the bathroom with her long sword still drawn and began systematically opening anything that could conceivably fit a mystery intruder in it, including the built in laundry shute.

Just then the holy warrior's ruby colored gaze fell upon Lina's Demon's Blood Talismans sitting on the vanity. She reached down and picked one up, wrinkling her nose in disdain. _I really wish that she didn't keep things like this around all the time…_Luna thought to herself with a deep sigh. _This must be what we sensed. _She added to herself as she set the Talisman back down before turning to leave and shutting the bathroom door behind her once more.

A few moments later Katibree dropped down from the ceiling soundlessly and removed the blade that she had been clenching between her teeth. _Well at least I know what she looks like now… _The ex-assassin thought to herself grimly.

(L) "Is everything alright Sis?" Lina asked will trying to her best to ignore the thud of her still racing heart in her throat. _I wonder how Kat pulled that off…?_

"It was your Talismans that I sensed." Luna replied quietly as she re-sheathed her sword.

_My talismans? That's weird…I don't remember putting those in the bathroom… _The sorceress mused to herself.

"Is something the matter Lina?" The holy warrior asked.

"Hum…?" "Oh no, everything's fine… you just… had me a little freaked out there for a second is all." The redhead laughed while waving her hand dismissively.

"I see… my apologies."

_Uh…Did **my** sister just **apologize** for something?? _Lina thought to herself in disbelief.

(Lu) "Anyway, I must take my leave." The Cepheid Knight said as she made her way to the door to let herself out, but paused with her gauntlet on the door knob sighing deeply.

"Luna?" The redhead asked.

"I… I just wanted to…" The holy warrior trailed of as she took her gauntlet off of the door knob and placed it on her hip while running the other gauntlet through her shoulder length purple hair.

She stood that way with her back to the sorceress for a long moment before continuing.

"I just wanted to thank you for aiding me with the investigation, it really helped me out and… you did…you did a good job." She finally managed stiffly.

Luna smirked a moment at the sound of what she knew was her younger sibling face faulting off of the bed before finally opening the bedroom door and stepping into the castle halls. "Take care of yourself little sister." She added before closing the door quietly and walking off.

A moment later Katibree opened the bathroom door and walked out only to find Lina laying on her back on the floor with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What happened to you Red?" the mostly platinum haired warrior laughed quietly.

(L) "…….."

"...World calling Inverse…." The half elf teased.

"My sister… actually… complimented me…" Lina finally managed to reply. "Wow…"

"That's a rarity I take it?"

"Kat, you have absolutely no idea."

"Well, that's a good thing then right?" Katibree asked as she made her way over to the redhead and sat down on the floor facing the top of the smaller girl's head and looking down at her.

"I guess so…" Lina said quietly as she stared at the ceiling. _Luna was acting pretty strange though…She's always been pretty serious, but that whole deal just know was borderline paranoid… _"Anyway, now that I've talked to Luna, we can take off whenever we want to head to the outer barrier." The sorceress added with a glance up to the ex-assassin.

"That's easier said than done, Red." Katibree chuckled. "It's only a little past noon, even I'm not good enough to make it out of this place completely undetected in brood daylight…"

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there…" Lina mused. "I guess we'll have to wait until night time then, so what are we going to do until then?" She added.

"I'm still restricted to this room until night fall, so I guess the real question is what are **you** going to do until then, Lina." The half elf said to her with a resigned sigh.

"Hum…" "Well, I guess that I can head into town for a few hours, I still need to grab my disguise anyway."

"The mercenary outfit?" the mostly platinum haired warrior asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Um hum, I thought about it and I think it'll actually be an interesting change of pace." Lina explained as she finally stood up and began to get ready to head out into town.

"Alright, well if you're going to get the gear…Don't bother to pick up a second weapon then." The half elf said.

"Why not Kat?" "What, are you still mad at me for taking one of your blades and making you chase me half way across the country still?" The redhead teased as she sat on the bed and pulled on her boots.

"No it's nothing like that…" Katibree chuckled. "I just… well I have a weapon that you can use with your off hand if you'd like…" She explained quietly. "It's fairly light and well balanced… I've just never cared to use it myself.

"OK, well what type of weapon is it?" Lina asked with growing interest.

"A scimitar actually, I've got the sheath for it and everything." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied in a voice that the redhead could barely hear.

"Alright, that sounds like a plan then…" The sorceress said after first hesitating at the ex-assassin's sudden change in mood before finally heading for the door. "See you in a few then, Kat?"

"Yeah." The ex-assassin replied back distractedly as she lay with her hands clasped

behind her head and staring at the ceiling, a melancholy look in her lavender eyes.

_What's with her all of the sudden…? _Lina wondered to herself as she closed and locked the door to her room before finally heading out of the castle and into town. _I already know not to bother to even ask what's wrong when she gets in moods like this, but it's still frustrating. You'd think that by now she'd trust me enough to open up a little more, but I guess not. _The sorceress brooded to herself as she walked. _When we first met it didn't bother me at all, I just told myself that it's just the way she is because of her prior profession…But lately…_

"That explanation just doesn't satisfy me anymore… now all it does is leave me with more questions than I had to begin with." The redhead said to herself quietly with a small sigh as she made her way into the town square.

_Oh well, I guess it really can't be helped either way…Even if I wanted to beat it outta her I'd have to try and catch her first! _The sorceress joked to herself with a giggle.

"Alright, time to do some shopping!" Lina exclaimed to no one in particular while pumping a fist in the air before running off in the direction of the first Armor and Protective Items shop.


	33. Chapter 33

"Hunny, I'm ho-ome..!" Lina sang teasingly after closing the door to her room before placing the bags that she'd been carrying on the bed next to an amused Katibree.

'_Hunny' huh? _The half elf thought to herself with a laugh. "So what did you get, Red?"

"Well, I got the disguise, but more importantly I got **food**!" "I just found out about this great new stuff called 'biscuits and gravy' with this other thing called 'chicken fried steak' and it's absolutely to **die** for!" "I had like 10 helpings of it at the eatery, but I brought some extra with me; Come on Kat, you've gotta try it!" Lina gushed as she fished a container of food out of one of the bags and shoved it into the ex-assassin's hands before waiting with an expectant expression on her face.

"Alright, alright, let's see what we've got then…" Katibree laughed as she opened the container. "Well, that's… odd looking…" She added after looking at the gravy covered contents within.

"Yeah, but it tastes really, **really** good...!" "Here, don't knock it 'till ya try it Kat." The redhead giggled as she picked up the fork inside the container, cutting and spearing a piece of chicken fried steak slathered in gravy. "Come on…open up…" She added while grinning and holding the fork up to the mostly platinum haired warrior's face.

"Surely you jest." Katibree deadpanned while staring at the fork waving back and forth in front of her face before looking past it at the sorceress holding it. _I'm not some…infant that needs someone to feed it - -_

"Oh come on Kat, don't go all prim and proper on me…" "Lina said with some dejection. "It's just us, so it's not like there's anyone around to impress, and plus I guarantee you'll like it!" She added more cheerfully.

"You're impossible…" The half elf sighed while placing a hand over her face in embarrassment.

"You'd better believe it!" "Hummm…?" The sorceress coxed mischievously while moving the fork all the closer to the ex-assassin's face.

"…Ok, ok…. But if you tell anyone about this, and I mean anyone - -

"Don't worry Kat, your reputation as a bonafied badass is safe with me." The redhead said while stifling a giggle.

"…Fine." Katibree sighed resignedly before finally conceding to Lina's request." Hum, that is really good!" The ex-assassin said after chewing and savoring the taste of the dish in her mouth a moment before finally swallowing it.

"See, I wouldn't steer you wrong!"

"That's all fine and good, but I'd prefer to feed myself now if you don't mind." the half elf chuckled while taking the fork from the redhead.

Yeah, yeah, eat up!" "I'm going to try this gear on while you do that…" Lina said while she stood from the bed and grabbed the bag with the disguise in it before heading to the bathroom.

"Hum?" "Ok then." The ex-assassin replied before turning her attention back to her food once more. _I wonder what type of mercenary gear she got? This should be interesting…_

A few minutes later the redhead cracked the door to the bathroom and peered out of it. "Ok Kat, close your eyes until I say you can open them…" She said. "And no peeking either!" The sorceress added suspiciously.

Katibree merely rasp-berried at this before finally closing her eyes.

After making sure that the mostly platinum haired warrior's eyes were truly closed, Lina made her way out of the bathroom and stood directly in front of the bed that the ex-assassin was lounging on, before making a few nervous last minute adjustments on her gear and taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. _It definitely shows off a little more skin than I'm used to, but it's the only thing that I could really find in my size…_

"Alright, tell me what you think." She finally said while trying her best not to blush too noticeably.

The half elf opened her lavender colored eyes and nearly dropped the fork that she'd been holding.

Most of the mercenary outfit consisted of snug fitting black leather. The vest that the sorceress was wearing had a V neckline, showing off a fair amount of cream colored cleavage and was just short enough to reveal a few inches of Lina's mid-drift as well.

The redhead's pants, along with her new mercenary gloves were also made of black cured leather, and the black parts of the outfit were accented with violet shoulder guards, forearm guards, and thigh guards as well as a violet belt. The talismans were still in their respective positions, but Lina had removed her trademark headband and wrapped and tied it around her left arm instead, revealing the twin birthmarks on her forehead.

"Well, how do I look?" The sorcery genius persisted shyly. _I hope I don't look **too** ridiculous…_

_Snap out of it… Don't just sit there and gape at her like a **moron**… say **something**… _The half elf bitched at herself. "That's… that's a good look for you Red." She finally managed, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch much to her embarrassment.

"What, did ya have a few drinks while I was gone or something, Kat?" Lina asked with some amusement. _As far as I know, her voice only cracks like that when she's drunk or really spun up about something…That something normally being me pushing her buttons. _She added to herself with a mischievous smirk.

"No, I'd prefer to drink in a place that I'm actually **supposed** to be in thank you." Katibree replied while clearing her throat and setting aside her mostly eaten container of food. "Come here a second." She added as she scooted to the edge of the bed.

"Yeah well that's just the thing Kat, if you'd just come with me to the audience with the Queen and gotten an official pardon from her face to face, then you wouldn't be here without authorization." The redhead countered as she walked the rest of the way over to the ex-assassin.

The half elf gave the sorceress's thigh guard a warning swat with her hand, prompting the redhead to brace for impact before literally hammering the thigh guard brutally with her fist a few times, testing its sturdiness before finally speaking. "Did you feel that?"

"Kinda, yeah." Lina replied.

"Turn around a minute."

The sorceress complied wordlessly while looking over her shoulder to see what the half elf was doing.

"Anyway…" The ex-assassin began as she loosened a thigh guard strap before re-tightening it by gripping it between her teeth and pulling it." "I already told you that I have my own reasons for not wanting to be here, Red." "Ok, turn back around a sec…" she added.

"Yeah, I know you did…" The redhead said as she turned around, bracing her thigh muscles once more for the inevitable impact. "I just don't like the idea of…" She trailed off what she was saying as her thigh guard was assaulted once more before finally finishing what she was saying. "…you having to sneak around like some common criminal when what you did was actually for the greater good of The Kingdom of Zephilia." "Even the elite sentries you took out were crooked; they were being paid extra to look the other way whenever a shady deal went down." She added.

"Yeah, well I've grown used to that sort of thing over the years, it doesn't bother me." "Katibree replied matter of factly." "Did you feel anything that time?" She asked afterwards.

"Nope, not a thing." Lina replied in bemusement. _And you may be used to that kind of thing Kat, but I'm not. _She added to herself silently.

"Some of the straps just need to be broken in more, but it's a good fit." The half elf mused while testing the other guards in the same manner. _A really,** really **good fit, she's an absolute **bombshell** in this outfit. Built like a beanpole my ass… It's almost a shame that no one will recognize her now. _The mostly platinum haired warrior thought to herself wryly.

After Katibree had finished her adjustments on the sorceresses' mercenary gear, Lina made her way over to a full length mirrorto get a better look at herself. _Wow, this getup actually makes it look like I have some breasts… That's pretty nice but, I'm not sure how I feel about everyone else that I meet on the road being able to see that so clearly… _She thought to herself with a blush while turning around to get a good view of her backside in the mirror. _**Gods** look at my **butt**, could it be anymore **shiny**?! _She exclaimed to herself, blushing even more vividly. _…But still…It's kinda hot looking that way… should I wear my cape to cover it, or leave it as is? It looks great, but it's so embarrassing…I can't decide…_

"Hey, Kat - -?"

"I thought you were trying to get **away** from the sorceress look, Red." Katibree replied coyly before the sorceress could even finish asking her question. "I mean you're already wearing the talismans as it is…" She added before turning her attention back to the last of her meal and casually ducking a hairbrush that Lina threw at her without even bothering to look up from her food.

"At least stay outta my head until I invite you in damn it!" The flustered redhead exclaimed. _I swear, sometimes it's like she can read my mind!_

"All I'm saying is that you've admired your backside long enough in private to know that it looks good, so stop worrying about it and give someone else a chance to admire it for a change." The ex-assassin teased before taking the last bite of her biscuits and gravy and setting the container aside to dispose of later.

"Well what if I don't **want **other people admiring my ass?" Lina shot back while covering her backside protectively with both of her hands and struggling to still stay at least partially serious.

"I don't see why not, I'd bet that Greywords would have jumped at the chance to play 'End Catcher' with you in that tower you were telling me about if your ass looked the way it does now way back then." Katibree teased before snickering at the sudden change in the smaller girl's facial expression.

"Hawh - - you don't forget anything I tell you, do you Kat?" The redhead laughed. _Jeez, I told her that back when we first met. I was just talking about anything that I could think of to try and break the ice between us… Back then she hardly talked to me at all and I didn't even really think she was actually listening to what I was saying._

"Yeah, somewhere along the line I think my brain was replaced with a sponge." The half elf said while stretching out on the bed luxuriously.

_Well better that, than the brains of a jellyfish I guess… _The sorcery genius thought to herself wryly. "So you really think that I should leave the cape off then, Kat?" Lina asked again while giving her 'assets' one last glance in the mirror.

"Definitely."

"…Alright then, but I'm warning you right now… The minute some pervert tries to grab or pinch my but… I'm going to beat his ass first, and then I'm gonna turn right back around and kick yours too!" the redhead said in a mock menacing tone of voice.

"Fair enough, Lina, fair enough." Katibree replied with a laugh.

"Ok then, it's going to be getting dark here in a couple of hours so I'll just ask one of the castle personnel to inform The Queen that I'll be gone by tomorrow morning and then we can just fly out of here later on tonight."

"That sounds like a great plan Red, but there's one problem with it… I can't fly." Katibree teased.

"I can teach you how too, you seem to take to magic easily enough." Lina teased back.

"Absolutely not." The half elf said stiffly.

"Well… I guess I can **carry** you if you really **want** me to then Kat…" "I know how much you **love** that...!" the redhead continued coyly.

"Oh, you just **had** to go there didn't you...?" The ex-assassin said while narrowing her lavender eyes at the sorceress before grabbing a pillow and socking her with it.

"Oh **alright**, just for **that**…" "Oh **no** Kat…" Lina began in mock concern. "Is that a **cut** that I see on your arm??" She exclaimed as she began to cast a Recovery spell while creeping toward the mostly platinum haired warrior. "Here, let me **get** that for you!"

"Fuck off Inverse!" Katibree couldn't help but laugh as she up jumped from the bed and began backing away.

The redhead dispelled the Recovery spell before finally giving in to a fit of laughter.

"Yeah, that's real funny." "Anyway, I'm sure we'll figure something out." The ex-assassin said while walking back over to the bed. "But until then, quit hogging the bed." She added with another laugh.


	34. Chapter 34

Later on that night the two 'warriors' made their way out of the Kingdom of Zephilia under the cover of darkness, Lina flying and Katibree following not too far behind on foot. After making it to the outer boarders of the city the half elf led the redhead back to her hastily abandoned campsite.

(K) "It's all still here, just the way that I left it…" "I'm- I'm almost offended!"

"The sorceress in disguise merely snickered at this.

"What, my stuff isn't good enough to steal or at least pick through?" The ex-assassin continued as she went through her things.

"Brigands and the like are pretty scarce in these parts, Kat." Lina giggled.

"Do they all steer clear of this area because of your sister too?" Katibree asked as she finally found what she'd been looking for and dug it out of the pack.

"No, most bandits are stupid enough to still come here, they just don't last very long when they do." "Zephilia is practically bursting at the seams with up and coming heroes trying to make a name for themselves." The redhead explained as she gazed over the half elf's shoulder to see what she was so interested in.

"I suppose that makes sense." "Anyway, here you go." The mostly platinum haired warrior said while turning around and handing Lina a scimitar with an intricately jeweled sheath. "That should work fine as a second weapon." She added quietly.

"Oh Gods, Kat… are you sure that you don't mind me fighting with this thing??" The sorcery genius exclaimed as she slowly unsheathed the blade while running her ruby colored gaze over the engraved craftsmanship along its shiny surface. _It looks like there's some kind of enchantment on it too…Where'd she get something like this from the outer barrier?_

"It's fine, Red." "As far as I'm concerned… you can have it." The half elf replied as she closed up the sack and hefted it over her shoulder before standing once more.

_She's going to give me something this valuable just like that…? I-I don't know what to say… _The redhead thought to herself as she studied the designs on the blade. _Some of these symbols almost look like runes…I don't recognize the metal that it's made out of either…_

"We should get going in the direction of the port soon, Lina."

"Huh?" "Oh, right." The sorceress finally responded while re-sheathing the scimitar and clipping it toward the back of her belt distractedly. "We slept during the day so there's really no point in setting up camp again." "It is kinda weird traveling at night though." She added as they made their way back to the road.

"Maybe for you, I prefer it honestly." Katibree replied.

"Well yeah, but you can see as well at night as you can during the day, sometimes even better." "I wouldn't mind traveling at night either with vision like that." Lina added.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be, I can tell you that much." The ex-assassin said.

"Right… like that time when we'd only been traveling together for a few days and I fired that light spell off inside that tunnel to get a better look at everything…?" Lina mused as she placed her hands behind her head as they walked.

"That was a… very, very painful experience yes…" "And if my memory serves me correctly, you spun around to see what was wrong only to blast me in the face with the sack you where carrying directly afterwards…" The half elf added with some amusement.

"Yeah, well I thought you were getting attacked or something…" The sorceress said sheepishly.

"Technically, I was!" the ex-assassin teased her.

"I apologized for it didn't I!" Lina said while stifling a giggle.

"Yes you did…" "While holding the light spell even **closer** to my face to see what was wrong…" Katibree added with a laugh.

"Oh jeez, I did do that didn't I…?" "Oops…" "Ok, ok, ok it was an honest mistake, it's not like there was anyway for me to know how sensitive your eyes were to light up until that point…" the redhead argued while doing her best not to laugh.

"This is true." The mostly platinum haired warrior agreed in mock somberness.

"And after I found out that the light spell was causing the problem, I did **dispel** it…" Lina continued sheepishly.

"You did indeed do that." "After blinding me and assaulting me with your travel pack first." She added mischievously. _And Lina looses her cool and changes the subject in 3…2…1…and…_

"Look, do ya want me to hit you with it again??" the redhead exclaimed, finally beginning to lose her temper and gesturing with her arms wildly before managing to reign her composure back in. After breathing deeply a moment she decided to change the subject because there was no way around the fact that Katibree totally had her on this one. "Anyway… what's the story behind this sword you just gave me?" She asked while unsheathing it and holding it up to the moonlight.

_I've sooo got her down to a science! _Katibree exclaimed to herself before doubling over with laughter, simply dropping the travel pack she'd been carrying.

"Wha-what the heck's so funny??" the sorcery genius exclaimed while staring at the half elf in befuddlement.

"I so have….ahhh shit...!" Was all the half elf could manage before crumpling completely to the ground and descending into another torrent off laughter.

"Y…you have to take a… crap?" Lina asked uncertainly. _W-what's so funny about that?_

The redhead's only answer to this question was the half elf rolling around on the ground and laughing even harder than before.

"Never…never mind… I just… whew." Katibree managed in between giggles and short gasps for air as she sat up in the middle of the path.

Lina merely stared down at the half elf silently, blinking at her a few times with a very amused expression on her face. _What's going on inside of that head of hers now?_

The ex-assassin sat in the middle of the path that way, just looking up at the stars a long moment before standing up and brushing herself off and picking the travel pack back up, hefting it over her shoulder once more.

"Are you… ready to go now, Kat?" "Got it all out of your system?" Lina added coyly.

"Yeah, I think so…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said with a sigh.

"I take it you don't have to take a crap." The redhead teased.

"No, no pooping for me." The half elf laughed as they continued to walk once more.

"So… you wanna tell me what that was all about…?"

"You wouldn't understand Red… you just wouldn't understand…"

"…Alright, I guess I'll take your word for it…" Lina said with a strange expression on her face. "So you want to tell me about the sword at least?" she added.

"Well there really isn't very much to tell." "It was given to me on my 18th birthday by one of my instructors, and he told me that the scimitar was with me the day I was left on the doorstep of the Guildhall." "He figured it was a family heirloom or something of that nature so he waited until my 18th birthday to give it to me as is the Guild tradition." Katibree explained quietly.

"A family heirloom??" "Then why the heck did ya hand it over to me??" Lina exclaimed in shock.

"Because I don't want it." The ex-assassin said simply.

"Well…why not?" the redhead sputtered.

The half elf turned her head to look at the sorceress, holding her gaze a long moment, her luminous lavender colored eyes catching the moonlight and glinting hauntingly in the darkness before finally answering. "What's the point of treasuring and wielding a family heirloom when I don't even know who I am?" The pain that she was feeling was wrenchingly apparent in her voice at this moment but she just couldn't bring herself to care.

"They just… they just left me there on the doorstep of an assassin guild." "I'm surprised that they even bothered to name me before I was abandoned." Katibree continued quietly.

"Kat…. I-I'm really sorry…I…" Lina began.

"It's alright Lina, like I said before, it's an excellent weapon… I just don't care to wield it."

_Oh Gods, now I feel awful…Kat sounded like she was about ready to cry just now. I guess that… giving away her family heirloom is kinda like… getting back at her parents in a way. I mean I know that it means something to her…she's always kept it with her up until this point, well minus the false alarm incident that is… and I've seen her polish it on more than one occasion although she never used it… _The redhead mused to herself as they walked in silence.

After a period of seemingly endless uncomfortable silence the ex-assassin looked over at the still brooding sorceress walking along side her. _She's still all down about what I told her just now huh? Isn't she always the one going on about how I need to lighten up more often because 'girls aren't supposed to be all gloomy and stuff'? Well… I guess now's as good enough time to show her my new trick as any other time… Gods know she's used it on me enough times… How does she say it again…? 'Wind which flows gently across the land…' _The half elf placed her hand on the sorcery genius's shoulder guard nonchalantly with a cat with the cream smile on her face.

The redhead looked up at her questioningly. "What's up Kat?" _What's she smiling about…?_

"Mono Volt." Katibree said coyly.

"What - - Arrrrrrrrghhh!" She exclaimed as she convulsed, gesturing comically before falling to the ground in a steaming heap.

Lina sat up blowing out a cloud of smoke and looked at Katibree with a fusion of pure astonishment and annoyance on her soot covered face. _She **totally** just mono volted me… when the **hell** did she learn to cast **that**??_

"Pay back's a **bitch**, huh Red?" "Who's making magic now…?" the half elf teased before running off down the path laughing.

"Kat-I-**BREEEEEEE**…!" "DIL BRAND!" Lina exclaimed.

"You missed me!"

"**FLARE ARROW**!"

"Oh, close but no cigar, Lina!"

"**FIRE BAAAALL!"**

"That the best you got, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with those attacks!" The ex-assassin called back egging the sorceress on from much further down the path before taking the time to stop and pull down an eye lid and stick out her tongue while swatting her backside at the redhead mockingly. "Sorcery Genius **indeed**!" she added!

_I'm gonna make you **eat** those words Katibree…_"Oh, ho **HO**!" "If that's the way you want to play it then **fine, dodge this**!" "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…!"

Katibree stopped taunting and simply stared at Lina in disbelief. "She… she wouldn't... w-would she…?"

Apparently the half elf knew the sorcery genius well… but not quite well enough.

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows, I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the might gift bestowed in my unworthy hand!"

"Oh… my fucking… Gods." The mostly platinum haired warrior managed before she turned and began to sprint away. _She's actually going to do it!!_

"Let the **fools **who stand before me be **destroyed**, by the power you and I possess…!"

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" "You're fucking crazy Inverse!!" The ex-assassin shouted as she ran away.

"You learned to cast **one** spell and decided to get out of the kiddy pool to play with the adults **all** on your **own**, so here you **go** Katibree!" Lina exclaimed gleefully. "DRAGON SLAVE!"

A few moments later the redhead spotted a twitching arm sticking out from underneath some scorched forest debris and began to push them aside while humming pleasantly.

"Did I get you that time?" the sorcery genius asked the ex-assassin coyly, once she'd uncovered her face.

"You are the most **obnoxious** and **craziest** person that I have **ever** met, Inverse." The half elf wheezed as she pull herself the rest of the way out of the smoking timbers while taking in the sheer massiveness of the several mile wide crater that the sorceress's spell had left.

"Just wait until you meet the rest of the gang." Lina said cheerfully while slapping Katibree on the back.

"If they're even half as crazy as you are… I'm not sure that I even want to anymore." The ex-assassin replied while stifling a laugh. _**Fuck**, that stings…_

"Want a heal…?" The redhead asked coyly after a few minutes of walking in silence.

WHAP!

(L) "OW, alright, alright I was just checking!" the sorceress laughed while holding her head.


	35. Chapter 35

(L) "So this is the ship…?" Lina asked the half elf as the two girls neared a large moored vessel. "It looks pretty rundown, are you sure this thing is even seaworthy, Kat?" she added, giving the ship a once over with a dubious expression on her face.

"Well, it wasn't built for looks Lina, but the design is solid enough." "Its original purpose was to combat and withstand the attacks of sea monsters, not ferry people to and from my side of the barrier." The ex-assassin explained to the sorceress / 'mercenary'. "But. I don't recognize any of the crew this time around…" she added thoughtfully.

"That explains why this crew is the only crew with enough nerve to leave port right now with all of the ship attacks going on lately then I guess." The redhead mused more to herself than to Katibree as the two of them finally made their way to the base of the loading ramp.

The Captain of the ship, who stood at the bottom of the boarding ramp accepting the fee for passage, gave the two a slow once over before finally speaking. "That'll be 15 gold per person he said gruffly."

(L) "HAWH, that's **robbery**!" "I just **heard** you charge the guy in front of us **8** gold to board the damn ship!" She exclaimed while placing her face mere inches from the Captain's own bearded face.

The ex-assassin just shook her head while taking a step back and clasping her hands behind her head casually. _Wrong answer grandpa…_

(C) "Everyone knows that woman'r bad luck on ships, the additional fee is for the added peril of having you two 'bleeders' on board." The man stated flatly.

(K) _Oh… my… heavens… _The half elf thought to herself while considering taking another step back from the exchange, before finally deciding against it.

"B-bleeders?!" "Just **who** the **hell **do you think you **are**, you shriveled up old octopus?!" "You can't just… you can't just go and charge us **14** extra gold because of some **totally** unfounded belief thatyouhave**no**proofto**support**!" The redhead virtually exploded.

"Actually that's only 10 extra gold of the fee." The Captain replied while folding his arms in disinterest.

"Then what the hell are the **other** 2 extra gold a piece for?" Lina fumed through gritted teeth.

"One gold a piece is for the manual labor and chores that little girls such as yerself will be unable to do." "All of the cooking and cleaning billets have already been filled." The bearded man stated matter of factly.

(L) "Grrrrrrrrrrrr…"

"And the other gold piece from each of ya will be to pay for us protecting ya against any sea monster that may attack us during the voyage." The Captain finished calmly.

"**PAY** you for our _**PROTECTION**_?!" "Oh-ho-**hoo**, you've got some **serious** **nerve** **grandpa**!" The sorceress exploded irately as she began to charge a Dragon Slave.

_If I don't do something quickly, this entire port is about to cease to be… leaving us with no way to get back to my side of the barrier. _Katibree thought to herself before stepping forward and grabbing the madly gesturing and ranting redhead from behind and restraining her as much as possible."Relax, Red." She said calmly.

"Whatdaya **mean** **RELAX**?!" "Did you hear anything that this **asshole** just **said**??" Lina exclaimed to the half elf while still struggling.

"Of course I did." The ex-assassin replied calmly. "However this 'asshole' is the only ride we have to get to where we need to go right now…" "I've got this one, trust me." She added quietly.

Lina eventually stopped struggling and just stood there, glaring at The Captain for a long moment, the intensity of her ruby colored gaze boring into the man enough to make him shift his weight uncomfortably before she finally closed her eyes and took a deep breath."

"You good?" The half elf asked Lina wryly.

"I'm good." The sorceress in mercenary's gear huffed.

"I'm letting go now…" "…No destroying the port?" Katibree reiterated.

"…No destroying the port." Lina finally affirmed with a sigh.

The Captain looked from one girl to the other swallowing uneasily. _N-no destroying the port?_

At this the ex-assassin released the redhead and stepped from behind her, walking up directly to the Captain before removing the hood of her cloak to look him directly in the eyes unhindered.

"First of all, your rules are ridiculous and outdated." "We live in modern times now and I seriously doubt that you even believe that load that you just fed us completely yourself." "Secondly, the person currently smoldering behind me is Lina Inverse." The half elf paused a moment as this information sank in.

The Captain remained wordless, but began turning as white as a ghost.

"I'm assuming by your reaction that you've heard of her." "Thirdly, considering that she was about to turn you and everything within a few miles of us into a smoking crater just now because you pissed her off so badly, I also seriously doubt that we need to pay for you and the rest of the crews' 'protection'." Katibree continued.

The man began to go an interesting blue color at this.

"Fourthly, instead of paying the regular 8 gold a piece, I'd say we deserve a discount now." "If not for the fact that she didn't end you and the rest of this ports' existence just now, then perhaps as gratitude for saving the sorry hides of you and your crew as well as the rest of the world on multiple occasions when it would have otherwise been destroyed."

The Captain stood there stammering wordlessly at this.

"Hum… now that I think about it…" The half elf pondered while rubbing her chin thoughtfully." "I'd say that the added **bonus** of **us** protecting **your** ship from any would be attackers probably puts us at right around… I don't know… 0 gold for a fee" "What do you think, Lina?" Katibree asked over her shoulder while moving out of the way to give the man a full view of Lina smiling at him vindictively.

"That definitely sounds fair to me, Kat." Lina responded, never taking her eyes off of the man in front of her. "So what do you say about that offer then, 'Skipper'?" She asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

Just then a burly sailor walked down the ramp to check on the Captain. "These lil' girls giving you some trouble sir?" "I'd be more than happy ta deal wit - -"

(L) "Fireball."

(BS) "Arrrrggggggggh!"

(L) "So, do we have a deal or not?" the redhead reiterated to the Captain impatiently, not skipping a beat as the sailor next to the bearded man lay twitching and smoking in a heap.

"Y-yes of course, right this way Ms. I-Inverse…" The Skipper stammered before beginning to turn around.

(K) "Oh and Captain?" Katibree asked while pushing back that same rouge crimson lock of hair behind a pointed ear like she always did

"Y-yes…?" The bearded man asked while turning back around.

"It would also be in your 'best interest' not to divulge the true identity of my partner to anyone, or mention the location to which we are traveling to at anytime." "If an enemy of ours gets a hold of this information and I trace it back to you… well let's just say, I can't erase an entire Kingdom with the snap of my fingers… but I **do** have my own 'talents', and I **will** find you and deal with you." Katibree said, her lavender colored eyes flashing dangerously.

"U-understood Madam, this way please…" "I'll have the finest quarters prepared for ye…"

(K) "Much obliged Captain." The ex-assassin said while pulling her the hood attached to her cloak up and over her head once more.

(L) "Now **that's** more **like** it!" _Way- to- go- __**Katibree**_

The two girls followed the nervous Captain up the boarding ramp and into the bowels of the ship, ignoring the stares and the occasional lewd comments that the surrounding sailors made before finally making it to the room the two were to stay in.

(C) "Here be our most lavish quarters young ladies." "I'll send someone up to make the room more to yer liking here in a moment…"

The half elf peered into the room that the Skipper was referring to. It was a modest size with a bed that was smaller than either of them were used to sleeping in with another person in it, but it was pretty nice by ship standards. Katibree looked over at Lina while raising a mostly platinum colored eyebrow inquisitively at her.

The redhead gave the ex-assassin an I-could-care-less gesture before turning to the Captain and speaking once again. "Don't bother sending anyone up unless they're bringing food, the room is fine the way it is." She stated bluntly before walking into the cabin without another word and dropping the pack that she'd been carrying on the floor unceremoniously.

(K) "I guess we'll be seeing you if the ship needs any… 'protection' from us 'bleeders' then Captain." The ex-assassin laughed before closing the door to the cabin behind her.

(L) "Jeez, I **still** can't believe the **nerve** of that **jerk**!" the sorceress fumed while plopping down on the bed and removing first one black boot and then the other.

"Yeah, that guy was something else." "It really does take all kinds…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said wistfully while walking over to the other side of the room and peering through a porthole serving as their window.

"I'm not sure how you managed to stay so calm with him insulting us like that Kat, but the way you broke him down was really impressive…" "I was starting to think that the guy was going to drop a brick in his pants!" Lina added with a giggle.

"Well, it really didn't help him any that you where standing behind me the entire conversation emanating an aura of death as I laid the facts out on the table for him…" the half elf replied with a laugh. "When you're that angry even I get a little worried." She added after removing her cloak and beginning to fold it with a small smile on her face. _Well… I suppose that 'a little' is somewhat of an understatement there._

"I guess not!" the sorceress said with a laugh as she began removing her Talismans, setting them in a box formation on the bed as she took them off.

"What are you up to now?"

"Well, I've been working some stuff about the Talismans out in my head and I think I just figured something out." The redhead explained while turning around to sit cross-legged on the bed facing the Talismans before placing her hands over them and closing her eyes.

"Whew, it's just go, go, go with you." Katibree said while removing her boots and bracers. "I've got to get some shut eye, so good luck with that Red." She added while laying down horizontally on the top end of the bed not being occupied by the sorcery genius, her legs and an arm dangling over either side of it lazily.

"Oh, I can do this on the floor no problem Kat." Lina said after reopening her ruby colored eyes and stifling a giggle at the sight of the half elf sprawled across the bed in front of her. _She looks like a big lazy house cat laying that way. _The redhead thought to herself with amusement.

"I'm fine just the way I am… Just kick me or something when you're ready for me to move so you can get some sleep too." The ex-assassin half said half mumbled into the mattress that he face was partially buried in.

The sorceress watched the half elf silently a couple of moments while smiling before finally responding back. "…Ok, suit yourself." She finally replied before extending her hands out over the Talismans once more and faltering before removing her fingerless gloves as an afterthought and trying once again.

"Ok, that's better." She said to herself approvingly before closing her ruby colored eyes and concentrating once more.


	36. Chapter 36

Katibree awoke in the darkness from a decidedly……… 'Disconcerting' dream with a gasp as she was snapped back into reality. It hadn't been so much a visual dream as it had been an abstract one, and a strangely erotic one at that.

"W-what the hell..?" _That was…odd…I was floating naked with all of this magical energy twisting around and through my body…_The ex-assassin forced herself to recall as the memory of the dream began to fade fleetingly. She dropped her head back down onto the mattress abruptly with an annoyed groan due to an insistent ache in her nether regions before gradually becoming aware of the weight of a sleeping Lina's legs sprawled across her back.

_I suppose that… kind of explains things…_The half elf thought to herself with an irritated roll of her lavender colored eyes. _Well shit, if I'm going to dream about getting it on…the least my mind could have done was give me a __**person**__ to get it on with. Fucking magic. _She griped to herself.

The ex-assassin looked over her shoulder at the sleeping redhead that was currently using her back as a leg rest. The sorceress hadn't even bothered to put her Talismans away that she'd been working on and they laid strewn across the bed and tangled in the covers haphazardly.

_Too funny. _The mostly platinum haired warrior thought to herself with a fond laugh. _I really can't complain about being with Lina day in and day out honestly…I've never had so much fun in my life, but it would be nice to get a little 'me time' every once in a while._ "….I haven't been laid in **forever**!" She blurted audibly into the mattress while pressing her face into it in frustration and blushing profusely after realizing that she'd just said that out loud. _Oh well, Lina sleeps like the dead anyway, so it's not like she heard that…_

Katibree faltered a moment as the implications of that last thought began to sink in. _I could probably get away with doing it…_She thought to herself sheepishly while stealing a wary glance back at the sleeping sorceress. _But knowing my luck, she'd wake up right in the middle of it…If Lina has anything, it's both good and __**terrible**__ timing… Gods I could see it now… "Kat…?" "What are you- - What are doing under the covers over __**there**__…?!?" The sheer scope of mortification would be limitless…_The ex-assassin thought to herself with an embarrassed giggle. _Well even if I had the balls to try that… the layout of the bed is totally screwed up right now. How the hell did she end up falling asleep that way anyway? _She pondered to herself, while absently going over a linier plan in her head of how to get Lina vertical and on her own side of the bed with the least amount of chance of waking her

The half elf's planning process was rudely interrupted by a loud BOOM followed by the ship shaking violently. This was soon followed by random shouting and commotion just outside of the cabin.

Katibree listened to the commotion a few moments before flipping onto her back and shaking one of a still sleeping Lina's legs in an attempt to wake her. "We've got trouble, Red."

"ZzzzzzzZZzzZzzzzzzz…."

"Red?"

"Mmmmmm, justa few more hours….ZZZzzzz…."

"**Lina**." The mostly platinum haired warrior persisted one last time.

The redhead stretched her legs a bit in her sleep before beginning to snore quietly once more in response.

The ex-assassin laughed quietly at this before sliding out from underneath the sorceress' legs and beginning to put on the few pieces of gear she'd bothered to remove before falling asleep. _Whatever she stayed up doing must have really wiped her out. She's a heavy sleeper, but she's not normally __**this**__ heavy of a sleeper…_

After grabbing her weapons from underneath the mattress the half elf gave the slumbering sorcery genius one last glance before striding to the door of the room purposefully. _Looks like I get to have all the fun to myself this time. _She thought to herself with a smirk while opening the door and stepping out of the room before re-locking it and closing it quietly behind her.

Outside of their quarters was a scene of relative chaos. Sailors were running back and forth on the deck of the ship, shouting and going about executing the various orders being bellowed to them by the Captain.

Just then, Katibree spotted the source of the ruckus, a huge black and yellow three headed serpent was currently being engaged at the front end of the vessel. The sailors shouted and jabbed at it with their spears in a futile attempt to ward the sea creature off.

"Oh, that's the one that everyone's been so scared of I take it." The ex-assassin mused to herself as she made her way to the front of the ship casually while going over the image of the wanted poster that she had seen in her mind. "It's even bigger than the bounty on it's head." She added to herself with a laugh.

Just then, the serpant roared loudly before making it's way to the side of the ship, rearing back with all three heads and ramming it with nearly enough force to capsize the ship.

Lina, who was still sound asleep until this time, was thrown from her bed from the violence of the impact, landing on the floor of the cabin in a tangled mess of blankets, limbs, and talismans.

"W-what the hell…?!" The redhead exclaimed, while standing and hurriedly detangling herself from the blankets. "Kat, are we under attack or something - -" "Where the hell is Kat?" _Where the heck do you think? _She asked herself mentally while struggling to put on her mercenary gear as quickly as possible. "Right in the middle of whatever trouble she can find." She muttered to herself audibly.

_She could have at least woken me up before she left_… She continued to gripe to herself while still struggling with the unfamiliar gear with a frustrated growl.

Outside Katibree contemplated her course of attack as she observed the serpent's attack patterns. _I could probably lop off one of it's heads by throwing my blades at it… But we're out to sea and if one of them gets deflected or if I miscalculate the angle of their returning arch as the boat is moving… there's a very good chance that I'll never see them again. Trying to retrieve them from the bottom of the ocean really doesn't seem like very much fun…Oh well, in the words of the currently sleeping beauty… "I guess I'll just wing It". _She thought to herself with a smile before sprinting to the side of the boat and vaulting herself off of the guardrail and directly at the sea creature. The serpent roared angrily as the ex-assassin dug into the neck of one of the flailing heads with both blades on impact, using them to dangle from the creature like a blue spider monkey.

Just then a very disheveled Lina Inverse came running up to the guardrail. "Hawh, that's HUGE!" "I still don't see Kat though… K-Kat??!" "What the hell do you think you're doing??" She shouted to the half elf through cupped hands after gawking at the spectacle a few moments with the other sailors crowed around the guardrail.

The mostly platinum haired warrior dislodged herself from her former clinging spider monkey position just in time to avoid a bite from one of the three serpent heads, bounding and jettisoning from one writhing and curling coil to another, slashing the creature here and there as she went.

"Winging it!" She finally shouted back to the redhead before narrowly avoiding another enraged bite from one of the serpent heads with a back-flip.

"What are ya trying to do, **annoy** it to death?" The sorceress in disguise shouted back. _Oh, I get what she's doing…that thing's neck is too thick for her to cut through with one hack because the blades on her weapons are so short… and she doesn't want to risk throwing them out here on the open sea…So she's bouncing back and forth in a pattern and hacking the same spots over and over again to cut deeper into one of the necks every time she make a pass…_

The sailors now joined by the Captain stood crowed around the guardrail murmuring in astonishment and occasionally cheering at the display of athleticisim. Lina merely rolled her ruby colored eyes and folded her arms. _She's such a showoff… I could have already had this thing dead in no time flat if I could use my powers in front of these guys without compromising my disguise…_She brooded to herself. _But I do have to admit…the nickname she got from her Guild really is appropriate, she really does look like she's dancing when she fights - - _"OH, looks like she hit a main **artery**!" The redhead blurted gleefully in spite of herself.

Katibree began running up a scaled neck when she suddenly slipped on the virtual river of blood pouring down it, before catching herself by digging in with a blade and slinging herself back to her feet and vaulting herself at the gushing wound. _One more pass should do it…_She thought to herself grimly as she closed in on the wound and charged her blades before crossing her arms and swinging with all of her might. The middle head was severed with a hiss as the charged blades meet serpent's blood and it toppled into the ocean with a splash large enough to force a wave of bloody water up almost as high as the deck of the ship.

The entire ship's crew cheered loudly at this, thrusting their fists into the air and brandishing their weapons.

(L) "Yeah, way to go Blade-dancer!" "Just four more heads to go - -" "F-four more heads??" "It's a _**HYDRA**_!!" Lina shouted through cupped hands while leaning over the guardrail precariously.

"And what was your first **clue**,Red??" The ex-assassin shouted back, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch as she ran and slid under the attack of one of the new heads and jumped up, leap froging over another head, stabbing at it's eyes and partially blinding it as she passed over it. "Maybe it growing **two** fucking heads in the place of the **one **that I just took **forever** to cut off??" She added in exasperation. _Now what do I do…?_

"Could be!" Lina called back cheerfully.

_Goddamned creatures of legend! Well, if I can't kill it by cutting off it's heads…I have to go for something else. I seriously doubt it could regenerate an internal organ like the heart…It can't even regenerate it's eyes unless the entire head is removed it looks like… But all I can do is really guess where it might be… and that part of the serpent is underwater anyway. _Katibree thought to herself as she slid down one neck and bounded to the next one, systematically targeting the eyes of the multiple heads as she dodged their attacks. _And even if I could get to it's torso somehow, Gods know how many layers of muscle and bone I'd have to hack through to get to it…I suppose that only leaves me with one option…_

The hoots and cheers of Lina and the rest of the ships crew fell into shocked silence as the half elf was snatched up and swallowed whole by a serpent head sporting one eye.

"H-Wha-ah!" "Katibree!" The sorceress shouted conflictedly. _It-it fricking __**ate**__ her! Now I can't even __**blast**__ it because I'll get her __**too**_**"DAMN** **it**!" She exclaimed while rustling her crimson mane. _I don't __**get**__ it… she could have __**easily**__ dodged that last attack- - S-she did it on __**purpose**_ "…What the **hell'd** she go and do **that** for!?" The redhead exclaimed out loud while jumping up and down and gesturing on the deck angrily as the surrounding sailors stared at her in bemusement and confusion.

"Katibree, you **IDIOT**!!!" She shouted as the four headed sea serpent began roaring miserably and sinking beneath the blood painted surface of the ocean until it was completely out of view.

Lina leaned even further over the guardrail of the vessel gripping it with her hands while scanning the surface of the ocean franticly with her worried ruby colored eyes for a couple of minutes. _Hooooowwwn… I have to do __**something**__, disguise be __**DAMNED**_She exclaimed to herself while jumping up on the guardrail as she began to chant a wind-barrier spell.

Just then a sailor shouted. "Look, over **there**!" "Something's resurfacing!" He cried.

At this the sorcery genius broke her concentration and ran along the guardrail in the direction that the man was pointing. _Oh, please be Ok, please be Ok, please be OK…! _She thought to herself desperately as she made it to the side that the sailor was and scanning the surface of the water.

Moments later a waterlogged Katibree crested the surface of the crimson waves with a gasp, flipping her gore covered, not so mostly platinum right now colored hair back and out of her face before swimming toward the hull of the ship with one arm and toting something fairly large behind her with her other hand.

(C) "Throw her a line!" The Skipper bellowed cheerfully. "Good work, gal!"

(L) "Well, aren't you quick to change your tune, you big **jerk**." Lina thought to herself with a icy glare at the Captain before turning her attention back to the half elf currently being hauled up the side of the ship, holding the line with one hand and holding the biggest heart that the sorceress had even seen in her life in the other. _She stayed down there all that extra time just to cut that out. _She deadpanned to herself in disbelief. _S-she had me worried sick for…some…some __**stupid**__**bragging**__ rights?? _She added to herself angrily.

The ex-assassin swung the heart up onto the deck with a grunt before rolling the rest of the way onto it herself as the sailors around her cheered and congratulated her.

(L) "**Outta** my **way**!" The redhead exclaimed while shoving deckhand after deckhand out of her way rudely. After making her way to the gore covered, water logged half elf, she merely stood there and glared angrily with her intense ruby colored eyes for a long moment.

"W-what…?" "What'd I do?" Katibree asked in genuine confusion while sitting and removing her boots, dumping the concoction of saltwater, blood, and serpent gore out of first one and then the other. _Wow does she look pissed…_

"Don't give me **that**!" "You went and got yourself **eaten** on **purpose** to try and kill that thing just now!" Lina virtually exploded.

"Well yes - -"

"That **serpent** could have had a breath-weapon or **Gods** know what **else**!" The seething redhead interrupted angrily. "And on top of **that**, you stayed inside of it **after** you'd killed it while it was sinking to the bottom of the Gods-know-how-deep **ocean** to cut out it's **heart** as a **trophy**!" She continued to rant.

"Y-yes well, there's a bounty for it, Red - -" The flustered ex-assassin stammered before being interrupted once more by the irate sorceress.

"**That** was the - -" Suddenly she spun around and glared at all of the crew members gawking in newly inspired fear at her. "This is an 'A' and 'B' conversation, so '**C'** yourselves' **out**!" She exclaimed at them.

The sailors shrugged at one another, while shuffling back and forth nervously and muttering amongst themselves unsurely.

(L) "That **means** get _**LOST**_!!" The sorceress shouted at them.

As the deck cleared in a matter of seconds, Lina turned back around without missing a beat and continued chewing out Katibree. "That was the **stupidest** and most **reckless** thing that you have **ever** done, **what** was I supposed to do if you never came back **up**??" "**How** was I supposed to go down there and **get** you if you ran out of **air** or something, Katibree?"

"Look Red, it's not that big of a deal…" "You pull reckless stuff like that all of the time, so what's the differ- -?" The ex-assassin attempted to joke, failing miserably.

"The difference **is**, that **I'm** not a **support** character!" The sorceress interrupted once more.

The half elf balked at this and looked at the redhead, her luminous lavender colored eyes clouded in confusion. "A-ah a support… w-what…?" She stammered.

Lina lowered her head while sighing deeply and rustling her crimson mane in a more calm manner. "…Never mind…" "I'm going back to bed, Kat." She added before walking off without another word, leaving what was most possibly the most dumfounded half elf in the universe at that moment to her own thoughts.

_What the fuck got into her?? Oh well… I'll try and talk to her about it later, but for now I need to get my gear treated before it gets ruined by this salt water._

_She's definitely the mistress of guilt trips though, I'll give her that. I feel like shit and I'm not even sure why really. _Katibree continued to brood to herself while making her way toward the ships laundry and bathing area. _How the hell else was I supposed to kill the damned thing?? And if I didn't get some type of believable trophy from it, there'd be no way to collect the reward for slaying it…and as soon as Lina realized that, she would have bitched about that too! Damned if I do, damned if I don't… _"Perrrrrrrrrfect." She sighed audibly.

The sailor on laundry watch looked up at the sound of the ex-assassin's voice. "Ol' gal givein' ya a hard time eh?" He asked in a sympathetic and knowing tone of voice.

"Excuse me?" The half elf asked while walking behind a curtain before removing her cloak.

"I was talkin' about the lil' lover's spat you two was havin' out on the deck just now." The laundry watch reiterated pleasantly.

Katibree blushed vividly at this statement. "Oh, it was nothing of the sort… we're just traveling companions is all." She managed embarrassedly before continuing to remove her gear, putting the pieces in the respective piles that they needed to be in.

"Right, my apologies." "It's just that after seein' you going up against that sea monster the way ya did, just figured you'd be the kinda woman that don't take shit from nobody less they was yer man or woman an ya really didn't have much o' a choice." He laughed while rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "No offence." The watch added nervously.

"None taken." The ex-assassin said distractedly while tossing her boots in the pile of things to be cleaned and re-cured. "She and I just have a… 'understanding' she added quietly while grabbing two oversized clean shirts, putting one on right then and ruining it instantly and carrying the clean one with her to the showers along with her weapons and a towel. "I'd like to have my things back as quickly as possible please." "And no funny business with my undergarments…" She added while giving the sailor a dangerous look.

"S-sure thing Miss." He stammered, laughing nervously afterwards.

With that, Katibree was off to the showering area.


	37. Chapter 37

(Later on that night…)

Katibree opened the door to the cabin quietly and stepped through the door as not to disturb Lina, who she assumed was sleeping, although the gesture was more of a social grace than anything considering that the redhead could sleep through anything short of… well, a full fledged sea monster attack.

The ex-assassin was surprised to see that the sorceress was anything but asleep however.

(K) "I thought you said you were going back to bed." The half elf said quietly as she closed the door to the room, locking it once more.

"Yeah well, I couldn't get back to sleep for some reason…" The sorcery genius replied while closing the book that she'd been reading before looking over at Katibree. "You were walking around the ship in just **that**?" She added while eyeing the thin material of the oversized shirt that the mostly platinum haired warrior was wearing.

"Huh…?" "Well, yes I had to have all of my gear cleaned and cured so that it wouldn't get ruined…" "There really wasn't much of a choice of what else to wear at the time." "Why do you ask?" Katibree asked as she made her way over to the bed and sat down.

Lina hesitated a moment before finally answering. "It's just that... well, you seem to have a problem even changing clothes in front of **me**, and now you suddenly don't have a problem with gallivanting around on a ship filled with all guys in nothing but a T-shirt that's practically transparent?"

The half elf laughed at this before answering back. "It's not like I was walking around strutting my stuff to the crew or anything, most of them are asleep right now.." "I just dropped off my gear, took a shower, and came back here." "Besides, that's… kind of a different matter." She added evasively while reaching over and digging through a traveling pack for the kit that she used to treat, polish, and sharpen their weapons. _I really don't see why she'd be worried about something like that anyway… _The ex-assassin thought to herself with some amusement. _Either way, at least she seems to have calmed down from earlier._

"I really don't see how that's a different matter… but I doubt that you'd be willing to explain that one to me." "Here, let me see one of those." The redhead added while gesturing for one of Katibree's blades.

The half elf merely lifted a mostly platinum colored eyebrow and stared at the sorceress inquisitively.

"I've watched you do it plenty of times." "I know it's different because your weapons aren't the typical shape, but I've seen what you have to do differently plenty of times." She explained while reaching into the kit for a whetstone and ointment. "Just hand one here." She added with a laugh.

The ex-assassin finally shrugged and handed Lina a half moon shaped blade hilt first wordlessly, before retrieving a second whetstone for herself and beginning to sharpen her other blade herself.

The two tended to the weapons in silence for several minutes before the redhead spoke once more.

"Hey, Kat?"

The mostly platinum haired warrior looked over at the sorceress expectantly at this.

(L) "Uh well…" Lina began uneasily, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

(L) _I feel really bad about the way I blew up at you earlier and I'm sorry…Just __**say**__ It Lina. _The redhead urged herself silently. "Well… it's just that…" The sorcery genius trailed off what she was trying to say with a frustrated sigh before rustling her fiery mane and finally continuing with her ruby colored eyes downcast.

"I just…I was just wondering what exactly it is that you're planning to do once we get to your side of the barrier she suddenly blurted." _Damn __**it, **__why do I always have so much trouble with apologizing? _She exclaimed to herself in annoyance.

Katibree gave Lina a knowing smile before the humor in her lavender eyes began to rapidly fade as she considered the answer to the sorceress's 'detour' question.

"Honestly, I'm not completely sure myself…" The ex-assassin began quietly. "All I really know is that I have to see The Guildhall and what transpired there with my own eyes." "I owe them all that much at least." She added even more quietly.

"Was there someone… 'special' to you there, Kat?" The redhead asked while applying more curing ointment to the blade she was sharpening.

"…Well, everyone there was pretty much the closest thing to family that I'd ever known… but, I never really allowed myself to get too close with any of them really." "In that line of work, you could be allies one day and enemies the next." The half elf replied while holding her blade up to a lantern and studying it.

"Yeah, I think I understand where you're coming from there… but, that's not exactly what I meant." "I'd think that there had to have been someone there that you were closer to than all the others…" Lina reiterated while grabbing a tool from the kit and tightening the hilt of the blade to keep herself occupied. _She knows I'm talking about a boyfriend and she's playing dumb… it really doesn't suit her… _She thought to herself with some amusement.

Katibree sighed in resignation before wording her reply carefully. "If you're speaking of… a 'significant other', then no, but outside of The Guild, I've had had a fling or two over the years."

"A 'fling' or two huh…?" The redhead asked coyly while handing the ex-assassin's blade back to her.

"Yeah, nothing serious…" The half elf replied as she took the blade from the sorceress and held it up to a lantern as well. "Hey, you didn't do half bad, Red!" She added approvingly.

"Well, what did ya expect…? It is **me** after all." The sorcery genius boasted with an exaggerated flip of her crimson locks, before giving her trademark Lina Inverse wink.

"Hah, and you say **I** have and **ego**!" The mostly platinum haired warrior said with a laugh. "Anyway, what about you Lina?" "Do you have anyone… waiting for you back on your side of the barrier?"

"Yeah, Gourry actually…" Lina said before trailing off with a strange expression on her face.

"The Swordsman of Light…?" "Or former Swordsman of Light until we get Gorunova back for him should I say?" (1.) Katibree asked as she stood to go place her blades out of the way as she didn't have the leather sheaths for them at the moment.

"That's right, I told him to wait for me in Sairaag until I'd finished with the whole business I had to take care of in Zephilia… but that was before the whole Monster deal came into play." Lina replied while scooting back on the bed before lying back with her arms folded behind her head.

"So you and he are an item then…?" The ex-assassin asked while making her way back to the bed and laying lengthwise on her side of it, propping herself up with her elbows.

"Well, no actually…" She said with a blush while staring at the ceiling. "I mean… I-I've thought about it over and over again and…" She trailed off embarrassedly while taking a hand from behind her neck to ruffle her crimson colored bangs nervously, revealing her twin birthmarks momentarily. _I can't believe I'm actually even __**considering**__ talking to her about this let alone actually doing it…I've even tried talking about this with Amelia and I just couldn't do it for some reason…_

The half elf merely waited intently for the sorceress to continue while reaching for a pillow and tucking it underneath her elbows before shifting her weight on the bed slightly to get more comfortable, never taking her lavender eyes off of the sorceress.

"…And well, we've been traveling together for so long that it seems like… it's seems like the right thing to do…" "I mean, I definitely--" The sorceress broke the rest of this statement off with a frustrated sigh while covering her face with her free hand before finally continuing after a long moment. "I **know** that I have feelings for Gourry, and I'm pretty sure that he has feelings for me **too**…"

(K) "But, he hasn't asked you out yet?" Katibree offered quietly.

"Well kind of… I mean… I always figured that Gourry would never ask me out on his own after I finally got it through my thick skull that he even liked me to begin with the help of everyone else's' hints…" "And after I'd figured that out I was pretty grateful of that, because it took allot of pressure off of me and gave me some time to think…"

After trailing off once more for several moments while attempting to sift through what she was feeling as she stared up at the ceiling through her fingers with her ruby colored gaze, Lina finally continued. "…It's just that…well, he's my best-friend and all… but, the longer it took me to work the nerve up to say something to him about it, the more and more that I tried to imagine a future with him… and every time that I tried to do that, everything just started to… become less and less clear." She finally managed with some effort.

(K) "So you… started having doubts then?" The half elf asked.

"Yeah… I guess so…I mean, I've changed so much since we first met and… I-I love the guy to death but…Gourry has stayed almost exactly the same guy as he was when I first met him at the age of 14…" The redhead tried to explain conflictedly. "He's still as charming, nice and gallant as he's ever been, but at the same time…" "I don't know… I just can't help feeling that maybe we aren't as compatible as I originally thought we were…"

"Well you just said that he was nice, charming, and gallant Red, what else could you possibly want?" "Don't you think that you might be getting somewhat picky here?" "Gabriev sounds like a really great guy to me…" Katibree add while rolling onto her back and readjusting her pillow.

"Well he is but…I-I don't know I just… I just think that I'd want more substance in a long-term relationship." Lina finally replied with a sigh while removing her hand from her face and placing it back behind her head.

"The ex-assassin lifted a mostly platinum colored eyebrow at this statement while turning her head to look at the redhead once more. "More 'substance'?" "Saving the world together on multiple occasions doesn't count as that?" She asked with a smirk. 

The sorceress couldn't help but laugh at this a moment before becoming somber once more and continuing. "I'm not talking about adventures and all of that smartass…" "We can have all of those that we want **without** going out, but we won't be able to do that forever." She sighed.

"I'm not sure that I quite follow you, Lina."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" The sorcery genius trailed off in thought as she turned her head to look out the porthole of the cabin and sighed deeply while collecting her thoughts before finally continuing.

"Once I finally decide what exactly it is that I want to do with my life, and the days of danger and adventure inevitably come to an end- - Well, I've told you some of the stories about Gourry, like the 'bamboo branch' (2.) one right…?" The redhead asked in frustration.

The ex-assassin merely nodded at this with a small smile.

It-It's just that I think that I'd want to do things with the guy that I decide to spend the rest of my life with that are… more substantial than… re-explaining things and arguing over the last piece of roast for example…" Lina finally managed.

That being said the sorceress turned her head to look at the half elf with a heartbreaking mixture of emotions evident in her ruby colored eyes. "You know what I mean?" She asked quietly. _Please tell me you understand, no one else seems too…_

Katibree averted her eyes from the sorceress's close to pleading ruby colored gaze, shifting uneasily after a short moment before staring at the ceiling of the cabin with her lavender eyes herself. After a few moments of considering what Lina had just said, she finally spoke.

"Well, it sounds to me like you love him, but you don't think that you're in love with him, and as much as you'd like that to be the case because you don't want to hurt his feelings…" "You just don't think that the two of you were meant to be…"

_Wow, she hit the nail right on the head... But, I guess that really shouldn't surprise me anymore. _The redhead thought to herself in bemusement. "Yeah…that's pretty much it, Kat…" She replied. "I mean, if I'm going to be with someone for the rest of my life, once I'm old and grey and can't do all the things that I used to be able to do, I'd at least want someone that I could study and research with or even philosophize with - -

Knock-Knock-Knock-Knock-Knock

Both girls looked at each other quizzically before looking at the door simultaneously.

(K) "Wonder what this is all about?" The half elf asked.

(L) "You and me both." Lina replied. "Yeah, what is it?" She added more loudly.

"Madam, the Captain has sent a gift for your partner's work in slaying the sea beast." A muffled voice answered through the door.

(L) "How could he tell it was me talking to him?" The sorceress wondered to herself out loud as she stood to get the door.

(K) "Your voice is… pretty…….'distinct' sounding, Red." Katibree teased with a wink.

"And just what's that supposed to mean…?" The sorcery genius asked while shooting the ex-assassin a glare before turning back around to unlock and open the door.

"Oh, nothing…" The half elf said with a laugh.

"…Humph." Was the redhead's only reply as she opened the door.

A sailor stood outside holding a huge platter of various types of seafood. "Compliments of the Captain, Miss." He said cheerfully.

Lina clasped her hands together with sparkles in her eyes at the sight of the heaping platter of seafood. "Ooooh, well I guess that maybe the Skipper isn't such a bad guy after all!" She practically squealed before snatching the large dish and slamming the door in the sailor's face, leaving him standing outside blinking bewilderedly at the door.

(K) "Thanks!" The ex-assassin half shouted half laughed to the sailor through the door as the sorceress made her way over to the bed and placed the platter on it, grabbing a lobster and cracking it open immediately.

"So Kat… what exactly did you mean about my voice just now…?" The redhead asked with a dangerous edge to her voice as she pulled some meat out of a lobster claw.

_**Gods**__ does this girl ever let up on __**anything**_Katibree wondered to herself while reaching for a shrimp. "All I'm saying is that your voice is easy to pick out from other people's voices and because of the pitch that you speak at, it also has a tendency to carry." She finally replied before popping the shrimp into her mouth nonchalantly.

The sorceress merely gave the half elf a dubious look.

"What…?" "I like your voice!" The mostly platinum haired warrior said with a laugh. "You should really stop being so defensive all the time, Red." She teased.

"I'm not being - -" Lina's statement was rudely interrupted by a large piece of fried fish that was suddenly shoved into her open mouth by Katibree who only began laughing all the harder at the expression of surprise on Lina's face.

"!...Mmmmf vif ifh prfify goov!" The sorcery genius attempted to say after a few chews. "Wahfs sfo…. funny?" She asked after finally taking a moment to shallow her bit of unexpected food while reaching for another piece of fried fish.

"Just about everything that you do!" The half elf finally replied after regaining her composure some what. "Whew, anywaywhat do you say we eat our fill and then try and get some sleep, Lina?" "We need to try and get back on a regular schedule after all that traveling at night and sleeping during the day that we were doing before." She added while picking up a piece of fish herself and taking a small bite out of it.

"Yeah, that actually what I was trying to do before…" The redhead said before virtually inhaling another piece of fish while reaching for her half eaten lobster at the same time.

"Oh and Red…?"

"Yeah, Kat…?"

"I accept your apology, and I'm sorry for worrying you as well." Katibree said while spearing a scallop with her fork with a wry smile on her face.

"I-Wha-ah…!" Lina sputtered before beginning to blush profusely. _I __**hate**__ it when she does __**THAT**_ "Ok, that's **it**!" "**Hand** it over!" She exclaimed suddenly.

"Hand over what?" The ex-assassin asked with an amused expression on her face.

"Your **mind** **reading** device!" The redhead exclaimed flusteredly. "You **have** to have one and **I** **want** **it**!" She continued to rant while beginning to rummage through the travel packs, sending various supplies flying in one direction or another.

"Oh, come on Lina, we both no there's no such thing…" The half elf said while laughing.

"There **is** and I'm **gonna** **find **where you're **hiding** **it**!" Came the sorcery genius muffled reply from the travel pack that she was currently partially inside of as she continued her impromptu quest for the elusive 'mind reading' device.

Author's notes:

i just found out recently that Gourry actually gets a sword called the "Blast Blade" in the Manga after he loses Gorunova, but it's so sharp that he'll hardly use if for fear of killing someone… I thought that was pretty weak sounding so I'm not going to incorporate that into the fic.

The 'bamboo branch' incident / gag that Lina is referring takes place during the first season of Slayers the TV series when the gang is talking to Tarim and Damia about Halcyform.

Oh, and send me an e-mail or message if you'd care to see a picture of the OC.


	38. Chapter 38

(K) "So are you ready to finally get back to some dry land, Lina?" Katibree asked as she leaned on the guardrail of the ship watching the sailors work at getting the ship moored.

"Since the day I stepped on this thing, Kat!" Lina laughed. "My history with ships hasn't exactly been the greatest…" She added sheepishly.

"I'll bet that has to be an interesting story…" The half elf said wryly.

"There's a few actually." The redhead replied while shielding her eyes with a hand and squinting out at the shoreline. "Anyway, what are we going to do about collecting the bounty on that hydra?" "We can't cash in on it on this side of the barrier that I know of, and even if we could, I wouldn't want to drag that huge, gross heart around with us everywhere that we went until we found a place offering a bounty for it." She added while scrunching up her face in distaste at the thought.

"Oh, I already spoke to the Skipper about that." The ex-assassin explained while hopping up on the guardrail, before sitting on it, swinging her legs back and forth over the side of the ship.

"Oh, what did you come up with then…?" The sorceress asked in interest.

"I told him that he could have a small percentage of the bounty if - -"

"You WHA- -??!" The sorcery genius exclaimed.

"Just hear me out!" The half elf laughed. "He's not stupid enough to try and double cross us, so I gave him permission to cash in the bounty and take a small percentage of it for himself in payment for holding on to the rest of the reward for us until we make it back to your side of the barrier." She finally explained.

"And what if he **does** turn out to be stupid enough to double cross us?" Lina asked. "That's **allot** of money, Kat." She added with an agitated rustle of her fiery mane.

"Then when we find him again, I'll just kill him instead of thanking him for his services rendered." Katibree replied lightly while giving the redhead that same careless shrug that she always did.

"It's just that black and white to you huh?" The sorceress asked while rubbing the back of her neck and sweat dropping. _Even after all this time, Katibree is still just as happy to slit most peoples throats as she is to shake their hands… It's all just business to her. It's so easy to just completely forget about that side of her… It really throws me off sometimes because there are so many other sides to her too…_

The mostly platinum haired warrior turned and looked at the sorcery genius at this last statement. "Shouldn't it be?" She asked inquisitively before faltering at the odd expression on Lina's face. "Is…something wrong?" She asked. _Was it something that I said? _The ex-assassin wondered to herself.

"No… I guess not." The sorceress said while forcing a smile. "Sometimes it's just easy to forget is all…" She added with a more genuine smile.

"Forget wha - -?"

"It's not a big deal, don't worry about it..." "Anyway, let get off of this floating lumber yard… What do ya say Kat?" Lina said with a laugh.

"Uh, sure… that sounds like a plan…" "Are you sure you're OK though, Red?" Katibree asked again while spinning around and hopping back off of the guardrail. _What was that look that she gave me just now - -?_

"Yeah, I'm fine!" "Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go!" The redhead exclaimed cheerfully, effectively interrupting the ex-assassin's train of thought before running off in the direction of the boarding ramp.

"H-hey, hold up!" Katibree called before finally running after her.

The two girls were off of the ship and waving their farewells to the Captain and the other members of the crew within moments.

(L) "Ok Kat, where to now?" The sorceress asked while surveying the unfamiliar surroundings and making mental notes of specific landmarks that she saw in the area.

"All we need to do is start heading in the direction of that mountain range over there." The ex-assassin replied while pointing in the direction that they needed to travel in.

The girls walked in silence for a long while, both caught up in their own thoughts. Lina had fallen back on what had practically become her new favorite pastimes, and that was trying to figure out why Katibree had given her the nickname 'Red'.

_Alright, let's see… Like I said before it's blatantly obvious that I'm a redhead… So that's not the reason that she gave me the nickname… Maybe it's because of my temper…? No… that doesn't make any sense… I wasn't even mad or anything when she gave it to me. But, she did think that I would be mad at her for some reason…_

_I still don't understand what her logic was behind that though… _The redhead's thoughts were interrupted rudely by nature calling.

"Hey, Kat?"

"Um…?"

"I'll be right back, I've gotta pee..." The sorceress explained while heading off into the bushes.

"Oh, alright then Red." The half elf replied while walking over to a nearby tree and leaning up against it.

The sorcery genius made her way through the brush while looking for a suitable spot to drop throe as she continued to mull the reason for her nickname over in her head.

_Well, she still won't tell me to this day, so I'm assuming it's something pretty embarrassing or something that she'd rather avoid talking about… But, for the life of me I just can't figure out what she saw that day at the lake to just suddenly make her give me the nickname 'Red'… _She continued to brood to herself as she found a suitable place to squat and do her business.

_I have a tendency to blush allot about certain things… but I don't think that's the reason that she gave me the nick name either - - _ suddenly in the middle of dropping her pants and squatting the redheads thoughts were abruptly cut off as she lost her balance, sprawling backwards, with her legs flailing in the air comically

"**DAMN** **it**!" "**Stupid** leather **pants** - -!" "Any other complains that Lina may have had at the moment where instantly forgotten as her attention was drawn to the shock of red hair between her legs, and her face immediately followed suit with that color as she put two and two together…

_K-Kat __**is**__ talking about the color of my hair when she calls me 'Red'… J…Just not the hair on my head…! __**That's**__ what she saw that day back at the lake that gave her idea to call me __**that**__! "_And **THAT'S** why she would never tell me what the nickname meant afterwards!"The sorceress finally deducted in mortification.

"S-she's been calling me **that** all of this time in _**PUBLIC**_??!" The sorceress blurted audibly in a haggard and breaking voice as she shot back to her feet pulling up her pants hurriedly with all thoughts of needing to pee being forgotten. "**Kat**-I-_**BREEEEEEEEEEE**_!" She shouted flusteredly, startling the birds out of trees for miles around as her distinct voice echoed through the massive forest repeatedly.

Katibree looked up with a single mostly platinum eyebrow raised at this. _What did I do this time…? _After a moment of pondering this very important question calmly with a hand on her chin in thought, as the sounds of Lina storming back to her through the brush grew ever and ever closer, it finally dawned on the half elf what exactly Lina might be so angry about.

"Uh oh…" was all she managed while stifling a laugh. "Well, she was bound to figure it out sooner or later…" She added wryly.

The redhead virtually exploded from the bushes with her face as red as Katibree thought that she'd ever seen it. "I was bound to figure out **what** sooner or later anyway?" The sorceress exclaimed embarrassedly while stamping a foot and flailing her arms wildly. "**What**, the fact that the **nickname** that you've **constantly** been calling almost since the day we first **met** is in reference to the color of my - -!"

The mostly platinum haired warrior didn't even wait for the ranting sorcery genius to finish what she was saying before flashing the smaller girl a brilliant smile and taking off down the path that the two were traveling in a run.

**Katibree**, get **back** here!" Lina shouted while jumping up and down before running after her. "I can't **believe** that you'd give me a **nickname** like **that**!" She continued to rant as she ran after the ex-assassin.

"I honestly wasn't sure why I did at first!" Katibree shouted over her shoulder with a laugh. "It didn't even dawn on my why I'd called you that the first time to begin with until you asked me why!" she added while picking up speed as the sorceress began to gain on her. _She's pretty fast when she's this mad! She's not throwing every spell in the book at me though, surprisingly enough… _The half elf thought to herself wistfully

"Then why didn't you **stop** calling me it after you realized **why** you called me it to **begin** with??!" Lina fumed as she continued to sprint after the half elf.

"Because it's catchy and I think it suits you!" The ex-assassin shouted back before abruptly slowing down and finally coming to a stop, any mirth that she may have been feeling draining away immediately as she caught the scent of death in the air.

"It's not catchy, it's EMBARASSING…!" "…Katibree…?" The sorcery genius asked, picking up instantly on the half elf's sudden change in mood as she finally caught up to her.

"Gods, I can already smell it from here…I didn't want to believe it all, but it's really true." Was the half elf's only quiet response.

The redhead couldn't smell anything just yet, but the tone of the mostly platinum haired warrior's voice was more than enough to give her goose bumps. "Are you sure that you want to go through with this Kat?" She asked gently.

"No, I know that I don't…But, I'm going to do it anyway." The ex-assassin replied before setting her jaw and striding forward once more with a grim expression on her face.

Lina sighed deeply at this before finally following behind the larger woman. _I know that look all too well… she's definitely not changing her mind on this one, but I kinda wish that she would…_

After 30 minutes of them walking, the sorceress in disguise could clearly smell it too and her stomach began to turn as they neared the Guild Hall and the stench of death only grew stronger and more unbearable.

Soon enough the two of them had made their way to within 20 feet of the partially opened secret entrance to the Guild Hall. The mangled and mutilated bodies of men, women, and children laid strewn in every direction in the clearing to the entrance of it.

(L) "This is… **awful**…" Lina breathed while covering her mouth with a gloved hand in horror and disbelief.

"I don't expect you to come any further Lina, you've already endured enough of this…" Katibree said quietly. "You can just wait here now." She added before walking forward once more. _There's no need for her to see anymore… She probably still feels at least partially responsible for this massacre as it is… although there's no reason for her too…_

"A-alright…" The redhead managed through the hand still clasped over her mouth. _I think…I think I'm going to be…_

After staring after the ex-assassin until she'd made her way inside of the Hall, the sorceress made her way over to some bushes on the side of the clearing before quietly losing her lunch there.

The half elf walked through the blood caked halls in helpless silence, staring at the chaos all around her in a haze. _So many, bodies… It would take months to give them all the proper burials that they deserve, and that's time that I just don't have right now… How am I going to deal with this… I can't just… _"I can't just leave them this way…" She said to herself audibly, a forming lump in her throat partially hindering her speech. _I didn't think… that this would affect me the way that it is… _She continued to herself while placing a hand against a wall smeared with dried blood before slowly sinking to the ground with a broken sob.

After choking back several pained sobs, the ex-assassin angrily steeled herself. _I __**won't**__ let emotions get the best of me. _She told herself several times forcefully.

Katibree stayed on the ground that way stubbornly struggling to regain her composure and forcing herself to think about the situation logically for several moments before finally getting back to her feet and making her way back out of the Hall, wiping her lavender colored eyes with the back of her hand as she walked.

The ex-assassin made her was back to where a slightly green in the face Lina stood with her arms folded.

(L) "So… did you see everything that you needed to see, Kat?'" The redhead asked somberly.

"I believe so, and I'm almost ready to go… But, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing me a favor first." The half elf replied.

"What's that Kat?" the sorcery genius asked.

"There are too many bodies here for me to actually take the time to bury properly with our schedule being as tight as it is." "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking care of this for me in one shot after I get some distance between us." The mostly platinum haired warrior finally finished.

"Oh yeah, no problem Kat…" Lina replied with more than a little surprise. _She's actually asking me to use my powers for once… That's definitely a new one…_

The half elf gave the Guild Hall one last sad, lingering gaze before looking back at the redhead and giving her a grim nod as she began walking away.

The sorcery genius returned the nod as the mostly platinum haired warrior passed her before taking a deep breath. _Well, here it goes… _

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"

Katibree continued walking until she'd given herself a good 20 ft radius of distance between herself and the sorceress before finally turning to watch the impromptu burial herself.

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows, I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the might gift bestowed in my unworthy hand, let the souls who lay before me find some peace, with the power you and I possess…" _I never got to know any of you, but I truly am sorry that things had to turn out the way that they did… Rest in peace guys… _Lina added to herself silently.

"Dragon Slave!" She exclaimed as a massive red and white beam shot from her hands, detonating as it made impact with the mountain concealing the Guild Hall and incinerating everything in it's wake with a colossal red ball of destruction, leaving nothing but a crater in it's wake.

The redhead stood near the edge of the crater as the smoke, ash, and soot cleared in silence a long moment before kneeling and reciting a prayer to help souls pass on that her shrine priestess friends Sylphiel and Amelia had taught her so many years ago.

Katibree, who had made her way back to the sorcery genius's side after the spell had been fired off, stood next to her and bowed her head solemnly until the redhead was finished with the prayer before placing a hand on her shoulder after she got back to her feet.

"Thank you Lina… I really appreciated that…" The ex-assassin said quietly as she looked out over the crater that she used to call home.

"Yeah well… it's the least that I could do…" The sorceress in disguise replied while absently placing her hand over the half elf's own hand still resting on her shoulder guard.

The two girls stood side by side that way for a long moment before simultaneously looking over and realizing that they were practically holding hands and snatching them away from one another embarrassedly.

(L) "Ahem!" Lina managed while turning away hurriedly and clasping her hands behind her head and blushing profusely.

The mostly platinum haired warrior cleared her throat as well, hurriedly folding her arms while averting her lavender eyes from the redhead and flushing slightly before finally speaking after a few more moments of uncomfortable silence.

"So, are you ready to look for that device that will let you try and get in touch with Sirius to try and re-obtain Gorunova for Gabriev?" The half elf asked, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch much to her dismay.

The sorcery genius turned at this and gave Katibree an odd look for a much longer period of time than the ex-assassin would have liked.

"What…?!" The half elf finally exclaimed while looking everywhere but directly at Lina.

The redhead merely smiled at this. "Yeah, I'm ready…" She finally said with a giggle. "We're headed to Alto first right?" She added.

"Yeah, that's the closest place from here Red…" The mostly platinum haired warrior affirmed with a wry smile as she began to walk.

Lina blushed profusely at this, smacking a hand over her face. "Oh, **Katibree**… come **on**…" She practically whined before following after the half elf. _She's never going to let me live this down for as long as I __**live**__… _She thought to herself in that broken and haggard tone that she so often complained in.


	39. Chapter 39

"Ok Kat, it's been over a week and we've been to Alto, Baritone, and everywhere else on this side of the barrier with no sign whatsoever of this 'device' that you were talking about…" Lina said crankily while dropping an armload of firewood that she had just collected by the fire pit which Katibree was currently digging out before sighing deeply and plopping down beside it. "I'd really like to get in touch with Sirius, but this whole thing is just starting to feel like one big, wild goose chase." She added while picking up a piece of firewood absently, tossing it in the air before catching it.

"Well technically… we haven't been 'everywhere' that has a good chance of actually having the device, there's still one last place that we haven't check yet…" Katibree replied while placing the makeshift stone shovel that the sorceress had made for her off to the side of the fire pit in progress before selecting some pieces of firewood to begin placing inside of it. _I was actually hoping to __**not**__ have to go there… _She thought to herself with a roll of her lavender eyes.

"There's a kingdom that we haven't been to yet?" The redhead asked in surprise while scratching her head and going over the geography of her mental map that covered this side of the barrier in her head. _If Kat is talking about a place any smaller than a kingdom, I really don't see how the place would have the resources or connections to develop or even __**acquire**__ an invention of the magnitude that we're looking for here…_

"Yes, it's a very obscure and isolated place, but because of the… 'nature' of the King and the occupants of the island, as well as the reputation of the Kingdom, it has excellent access to obscure information and topnotch connections…" The half elf explained carefully.

"Well, if the credentials of this 'Kingdom' come so highly recommended, then why wasn't it one of the first places that we - - Did you just say that it was on an island?" The redhead asked dejectedly.

"That it is, Lina." The ex-assassin affirmed. "Did you want to get the fire started this time?" "The wood is still semi damp." She added while tossing one last piece of timber on the pile.

"Is it within Ray Winging distance at least then…?" The sorcery genius asked hopefully as she leaned forward, cupping her hands over the fire pit before casting a modified fireball spell and blowing at the tiny ball of flame now hovering in between her hands, igniting the timbers with what could only be described as a miniature flamethrower.

"I'm afraid not." The mostly platinum haired warrior laughed as she set up the familiar makeshift grill. _Not to mention the fact that I can't fly…_She added to herself wryly while beginning to place slab after slab of bear meat on the grate.

"Hooowwn, not another boat, Kat…" Lina complained while flopping backwards onto a travel pack in exasperation.

"Ship technically, but the accommodations on this one won't be **nearly** as lavish as the last one that we were on, Red." Katibree replied apologetically.

The redhead flushed slightly at the use of the half elf's nickname for her and considered protesting before finally just letting it go. _She's going to keep calling me that no matter what I do or say anyway…At least she doesn't call me it as much as she used to anymore. _She thought to herself while averting her ruby colored eyes from the ex-assassin embarrassedly. "Fine, I guess it can't be helped then…" "Is the food ready yet?" The sorceress added hopefully.

Katibree laughed once more at this. "Of course not Lina, I just put it on the grate, and besides these are really thick shanks of meat." She finally replied good-naturedly.

The sorcery genius rolled onto her stomach at this, burying her face into the travel sack with a miserable moan. "But, I'm so **hungry**…"

The half elf glanced over at Lina with a quiet sigh. _I already saw this coming, I've pretty much got Red's eating patterns down to a science unless she really exerts herself physically or magically for some reason…But we're completely out of rations, not to mention the fact that game is really scarce in this area and edible vegetation is pretty much nonexistent…It took me forever to find the bear that I did, and it's going to take even longer to cook the damn thing…_She mused to herself.

After a few minutes of tending the fire while listening to the redhead's groans and her stomach's growling, the ex-assassin finally spoke. "Instead of focusing on how hungry you are until the food is ready, which will be quite some time… why don't you try concentrating on doing something else, Lina?" She offered.

"And just what else would you suggest that I try and 'focus' on, Kat…?" Came what could be heard of the redhead's muffled reply as she continued to press her face into the pack she was currently laying on.

"Well, you still haven't tried fighting with your new weapon yet…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said before hopping to her feet and giving herself some distance from the fire pit.

Lina looked up from the bag at this statement. "Yeah, so..?" She asked with a raise of one crimson colored eyebrow.

"So… then why don't we finally see what 'Lina the dual-wielding swordsman's' got…?" Katibree said, placing one foot in front of the other while giving the sorceress a 'bring it on' gesture with one hand, a small smirk playing across her lips.

"Huh." _So she wants to spar...? That's interesting. _The redhead thought to herself while rolling off of the sack and up into a standing position before reaching off to the side with her right hand to draw her short sword while simultaneously reaching back with her left and drawing the scimitar. _I always kinda wanted to test my swordsmanship against hers anyway… _She thought to herself as she hefted the unfamiliar weapon in her grasp a moment. "Well, are you gonna draw your weapons or not?" The smaller girl asked while assuming a fighting stance.

"Only if you make me." The half elf replied simply while giving the sorceress a nonchalant shrug.

"What..?" Lina asked unsurely.

Katibree merely chuckled at this. "Just come on." She added while smiling and folding her arms.

_Of __**all**__ the cocky- -! Calm down Lina, she's just trying to get into your head; it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. _The sorcery genius told herself with a deep breath.

"Alright, have it your way Katibree." The redhead finally said before running forward and attacking with a diagonal slash of her short sword which the half elf easily ducked. Grunting at this, the sorceress quickly recovered from the missed attack, swinging her sword in the opposite direction and aiming for the ex-assassin's mid-section with a horizontal slice, missing once again as Katibree took a step back and out of range of the attack, never bothering to even unfold her arms.

As the larger woman took a step back, Lina stepped in, jabbing her short sword before watching in dismay as the half elf easily sidestepped the attack, unfolding her arms and taking the time to tap one of her metal bracers against the still unused scimitar currently raised over the decidedly annoyed sorcery genius's head.

(K) "No point in wielding two if you're only going to use one, Red." The ex-assassin said lightly before casually ducking and sidestepping another set of attacks from the now blushing sorceress, this time attacking with both weapons. "That's more like it!" She added with a grin. _She's already got great form for never having fought with two weapons before, and that was a nice combo, now all she has to do is get used to chaining them together. _The half elf thought to herself with approval as she ducked a backhand swing from the redhead's scimitar before rolling out of the way of a aggravated downward cleave from Lina's short sword.

(K) "Looking good Lina - - **whoa**!" Katibree exclaimed while once again ducking and dodging the redhead's next flurry of attacks, before having no choice but to draw her blades to block the last furious swing from the sorceress while laughing.

(K) "That's right; show me what you've got!" The half elf said while grinning as she locked blades with the sorcery genius before pushing off and away from the bladelock with a grunt.

(L) _She's not even __**trying**__…! _Lina exclaimed to herself with a growl before charging Katibree again and swinging with a brutal combo that the ex-assassin parried with a surprised expression on her face.

(K) _She's actually getting mad… this was just supposed to be in good fun to pass the time…_The half elf thought to herself in dismay while sidestepping another charge from the sorcery genius with a spin."**Hey**, time out, time out, time **out- -**!" The mostly platinum haired warrior exclaimed while throwing up her hands in a gesture of surrender before ducking another enraged swing of the redhead's scimitar. "Take it easy Red…!" "I didn't mean to piss you off or anything, I apologize…!?" She said as she deflected yet another blow from the sorceress before dropping her weapons completely and falling to the ground in a submissive gesture, attempting to diffuse the sorceress's fury.

Lina faltered at this before blinking and shaking her head as if she'd just been snapped out of a dream before looking at the half elf as if seeing her for the first time. "Oh… I'm so sorry Kat…" Was all the redhead managed before walking away without another word.

_Was she just crying? _"Lina…?" "Hey, wait up!" The ex-assassin exclaimed while jumping back to her feet and following after the sorcery genius. "What was that all about just then?" She asked gently after finally catching up to Lina and walking along side of her.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you two are so much alike sometimes…" The redhead replied quietly, still averting her ruby colored eyes from Katibree.

"We two who?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked with a perplexed expression on her face.

The sorceress in disguise stopped and sat on a nearby stump with a sigh before finally replying back. "I'm talking about my sister Luna, fighting you was almost exactly like sparring against her when I was younger." "It was like… no matter how hard I tried; she was always one step ahead of me." "I always used to get so frustrated fighting with her, because no matter what I did or how hard I tried, I could never seem to get the upper hand…"

"She had a tendency to rub that in your face, I take it?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked while sitting down on the ground in front of the redhead with her legs crossed.

"Well no, at least not on purpose anyway…" "It's just that everything she ever tried to do she just did perfectly with seemingly no effort at all." She explained with a forlorn expression on her face.

"Yeah, that does sound pretty annoying…" Katibree agreed wistfully.

(L) "I'm mean, there's Luna, the dashing representative of Cepheid that Mom and Dad are so proud of, and then there's me…" The sorcery genius held out her fingers and counted as she began to name off the many colorful titles she'd acquired over the years. "The **abominable** fiend, the **bandit** killer, the **dragon** spooker, the enemy of all who **live**, the **beanpole** that leaves wreckage and chaos in her wake - -

"Ok, ok, ok!" The ex-assassin laughed. "I get your point, but everyone is expected to do stupid and reckless things when they're kids… it's part of growing up..." The half elf added lightly, picking up a nearby stone before continuing what she was saying.

"I mean… you happened to be an obnoxiously powerful kid to the point of it being sickening, but you were still a kid Lina." "Most kids screw up by breaking a neighbor's window with one of these, or taking the carriage for a joyride without permission and wrecking it…" Katibree said while giving the rock a small toss in Lina's direction.

The redhead caught the stone easily enough and looked at it, blinking a moment before looking back up at the half elf. "Yeah, so what…?" She finally asked.

"All I'm saying is that your mistakes were just on a grander scale because you were so damned powerful and had so much more responsibility than the average kid did." The ex-assassin explained. "The world's just lucky that you're anything but average." She added with a smirk.

"Yeah, I guess you're right… but it just doesn't seem like Luna ever made any mistakes like that… she was always the 'golden child' that could do no wrong. Lina explained quietly. "Even her birth was prophesized by the temple of Cepheid so people revered her before she was even born. She added with a sigh.

"Sounds like quite the shadow to have to stand in." The half elf mused.

"Oh, you have no idea Kat…" "I've even heard that the only reason that I have the huge magic capacity that I do is because of an after affect from Mom having Luna."

The half elf rolled her lavender eyes at this before finally replying. "**Whatever** Red, your sister may have a piece of 'a God's soul' residing in her, but you can call upon '**The** **God'** whenever you **please**... And no one else in the world, The Knight of 'Cepheid' **included**, is able to do that." "All things considered, I'd say that she's standing in **your** shadow now." Katibree added before standing and offering Lina her hand.

"Eh heh… well when you put it that way…" The redhead said, trailing off her sentence with a small blush before taking the half elf's hand and allowing herself to be helped up. _She really does have a way with words…_She thought to herself wryly.

(K) "Well now would probably be a good time to head back to camp…" "If I burn that meat on the grill, there's no telling where we'd find more with pickings as slim as they have been lately." The half elf laughed while rubbing the back of her neck.

"No kidding!" The sorcery genius exclaimed as the two made their way back to the campsite.


	40. Chapter 40

_**Authors notes**_: **Yuri** (girl on girl situations) for you… I've officially changed the Fic's rating from 'T' to 'M'. This chapter is very tame compared to what will be coming up in the next few chapters, so once again, if that type of thing offends you or you simply have no interest in it, I strongly urge you to discontinue reading this Fic. (or at least skip the next couple of chapters)

For the readers that have stuck with me from the beginning, once again I thank you and I also apologize about the lateness of this last installment. I've went through a HUGE dry spell for a while there. Either way, I'm back in the swing of things so expect updates more frequently now. Anyway, on to the Fic, and as always, praise and criticism is always greatly appreciated!

The Ship to Gheyahsayl

(L) "This is the ship." Lina deadpanned while staring at the rickety wooden vessel that they were about to board in dismay.

"Yup." Katibree replied matter of factly.

"I thought you said that this place was a **prosperous** Kingdom, Kat." The redhead deadpanned once more.

"Oh it's a very prosperous Kingdom." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied lightly as they boarded the vessel.

"Then what's the deal with this ship…?" "It looks like it won't even make it out of the bay before sinking…" The sorceress said while looking around at the decidedly 'odd' mixture of people already wandering around onboard the ship.

"Well, this ship isn't really affiliated with the Kingdom, the crew just ferries people back and forth from the island for money." The half elf explained.

"Well if that's the case, then they really need to start charging people more…" Lina replied back. "So where are we staying on here - - Was that guy just now in a dress…?" She added while doing a double take at a burly, bald shaven man who had just walked by.

"I believe he was." "And as far as staying somewhere on this ship goes, there really isn't a place to go and lounge per say…" "Staying out here on the deck or going down to the rack that was assigned to us are pretty much our only options sadly." The ex-assassin said while finding a 'comfortable' looking bulkhead and sitting down before leaning up against it.

"You didn't think that it was strange that some guy just walked by in a dress just now?" The sorcery genius persisted while sitting down in front of the lounging half elf before giving in to her curiosity and stretching her neck to try and get another glimpse of the man.

"And you do…?" Katibree replied. "I thought you traveled with a few cross dressers yourself at one point in time…" She added coyly, opening a lavender eye as she said it, before closing it once more.

"Wha-ah, well yeah kind of…" "But it wasn't… something they did willingly or that they enjoyed… "Well…I-I guess Xellos did seem to kinda of be enjoying it…" Lina stammered more to herself than the ex-assassin while scratching her head perplexedly and staring up at the sky. "Anyway, that guy just now wasn't even **trying** to look like a girl… he's just… walking around strutting his stuff…" The redhead added after catching another glimpse of the muscled man and watching him strut about the deck flamboyantly for a few more moments.

"Maybe he just really likes the dress…" The half elf offered while stifling a giggle. _How sheltered can she be?_

"I-I guess so…" The sorceress in disguise replied unsurely.

"Anyway, you mine as well go ahead and get used to that sort of thing now, Red…There's plenty more of that sort of thing where we're headed."

"Come **on** Kat, would you quit calling me that in **public** already...?" Lina hissed.

"So… you don't mind if I call you 'Red' in **private** anymore then, Lina…?" Katibree couldn't help but ask with a surly tone to her voice. _She left herself so wide open for that one…_She thought to herself wryly as the implications of what she'd just asked the sorcery genius began to sink in, the smaller girl's face turning all the more red the longer that she thought about the meaning of that question.

"T-that's not what I - - "Ah erm…" "Well - - I mean uhm…!" Lina stammered flusteredly while looking everywhere but directly at the very amused half elf.

_Jeez, she looks like her head's about to explode over there. _The ex-assassin thought to herself while attempting to stifle a laugh for the sorcery genius's benefit. "Relax Lina, don't blow a gasket or anything… it's just a nickname!"

"Y-yeah, but…y-you gave me the damn thing because of the color of the hair on my- -"

"Whoa, easy Lina!" "If you're going to keep going on like that, then the meaning of your nickname really won't be so much of a secret anymore." Katibree said, interrupting the redhead with a coy wink.

Lina face-faulted at this statement. "Mmmphfmrphmmm…" She moaned miserably into the wooden deck.

"Come on, it's not like anyone else is going to know what the true meaning of the name is besides the two of us unless you tell someone, because I'm certainly not dumb enough to" Katibree said cheerfully.

"Mummmm… Mmmphfmrphmmm…" Was the younger girl's only response to this.

"It can be our… 'Dirty little secret'…" The mostly platinum haired warrior leaned over and purred suggestively into the redhead's exposed ear.

Lina gasped at the feel of the larger girl's breath on her ear before rolling away with a squeal. "L-lay off would ya…Kat?!" She finally laughed nervously.

"Ok, ok…" Katibree chuckled quietly. _Maybe I am going just a little bit over board with teasing her… _"Hey, are… you ok?" She added after noticing an odd expression on the sorcery genius's face.

(L) The half elf's inquiries fell on deaf ears as the sorceress found herself lost in thought as she so often did. _Jeez it's still tingling and she didn't even __**touch**__ it… Maybe human ears aren't nearly as sensitive as half elf or elven ears are, but that's more than sensitive enough for me…_She thought to herself while sitting up and rubbing her ear in an attempt to get the sensation to subside.

"Uh…Lina - - Oh never mind…" _Lina has __**left**__ the building…Sometimes I could swear that she does more dreaming during the day than she does when she's actually asleep… _The ex-assassin thought to herself with a smirk while leaning back against the bulkhead and placing her hands behind her head before shutting her eyes.

(L) _But, it… it didn't really feel ticklish exactly…I-I'm not really sure how to describe the feeling, but that was definitely… different from ticklish, so I guess that's what Kat was talking about… _Lina continued to herself while stealing a quick glance over at the half elf. _Well if…her ears are supposed to be so much more sensitive than mine, what effect would it have if I did the same thing to her that she just did to me…? Only one way to find out…! _She deducted, flashing a single fang as she began to lean toward Katibree smiling vindictively. As the smaller girl neared the half elf's ear, she took in a deep quiet breath and stopped a few inches from one of the larger girl's pointed ears while holding her breath.

Feeling the sorceress's presence moving closer, Katibree raised a mostly platinum colored eyebrow, but didn't bother to open her eyes. "Red… what are you…?"

In response, Lina first breathed and then blew on the half elf's ear, pursing her lips to aim the flow of the warm air directly across the very tip of it, causing what should have been a 'doing?' at the end of Katibree's sentence to become a 'doo_**Ooo**_**Oo**ing??' as her lavender eyes shot open in surprise and she half fell, half scooted away from the redhead in surprise.

The flustered half elf merely watched a few moments as Lina rolled around laughing hysterically before finally regaining enough composure to pull herself off of the deck and return to a seated position.

"I guess those ears of yours really are as sensitive as I read they were!" The sorcery genius laughed.

"Alright, I suppose I had that coming…" Katibree finally said after regaining her own composure as well.

"Boy, did you ever!" The sorceress agreed cheerfully. "Anyway, how long is this boat ride supposed to be, Kat?" She added more solemnly.

"Well that depends on the weather actually." The half elf replied while scanning the darkening clouds on the horizon with her luminous gaze. "It looks like we'll be sailing into the storm so the travel time will be longer than usual, but no longer than 10 hours or so I'd say."

"I guess that's not too bad." Lina mused as she followed Katibree's gaze off into the distance. "But, what are we going to do until then?" "We can't stay up here all night if it's going to be raining."

"Maybe that's for the best, if we turn in now, we can get back on a normal schedule after all of that sleeping during the day and traveling at night we've been doing lately." The ex-assassin said while standing and walking over to the guardrail of the ship. "And on top of that, it should make the trip seem allot faster seeing as we'll probably be waking right around the time the ship arrives in Gheyahsayl.

"Yeah, that makes sense - - Ga-yas-wha…?" The redhead asked suddenly.

The ex-assassin cleared her throat and averted her eyes at this before finally answering. "Gheyahsayl, is the name of the Kingdom that we are headed to…"

"That's a strange name for a kingdom… hell, that's a strange name for anything." The sorcery genius replied with a small rustle of her fiery mane.

Katibree merely gave her a strange smile. _You have no idea Red. _She thought to herself in amusement.

_What's that smile all about? _Lina wondered to herself before deciding to just let it go. "…Either way, I'm actually pretty beat, we've been running around from kingdom to kingdom on this side of the barrier with hardly any down time at all as it is." The redhead finally replied with a yawn. "So where are we assigned to sleep anyway?" She added sleepily.

"I'll show you." the half elf said while hefting their traveling pack over her shoulder.

As the mostly platinum haired warrior led the sorceress in disguise down deeper into the bowels of the ship, the air became noticeably colder, damp, and more dank.

(K) _Oh, Lina is going to hate this set up so much…_The ex-assassin thought to herself with a sigh as she lead the sorcery genius into a large dark room lined with what almost looked to Lina like coffins. "This is the area where the women sleep, Lina." She said while gesturing at their rack.

The redhead merely stared at the rack while sweat dropping a long moment before finally speaking. "You're telling me that this… turned over coffin looking thing is… where we were assigned to sleep." She stated in disbelief.

"That would be correct, but the proper term for it would be a 'rack'." The mostly platinum haired warrior said with a chuckle.

At that Lina looked down at the floor, possibly hoping to sleep on it instead. _EW, is something leaking in here…? _She thought to herself while bending down and looking into the rack below theirs that an older woman was currently resting in. "We're supposed to just… sleep in here with all these random people around…?"

Katibree nodded grimly at this as she hung up their pack.

"And we're both supposed to try and fit inside of this thing together?" She added while ducking her head into the rack and looking around. "I-I want my two silver pieces back…" The sorcery genius moaned dejectedly.

"It's a little late for that Lina, but I've done this before and it's not actually all that bad." The half elf replied. _Then again, I had the rack all to myself last time…_She added to herself silently.

"If we weren't sailing right into a storm I would have just stayed up top… this really looks like it's gonna suck…" The sorceress in disguise mused as she began to remove her bulkier pieces of gear, before finally changing out her leather vest for a t-shirt. "Well how are we going to do this then…?" She asked as she reached up and deposited what she was taking off into the travel pack.

"Well, just like you said earlier… we're pretty much surrounded by strangers here, so it would probably be smarter for me to be on the outside as a posed to the inside because it would be easier for me to detect if someone was up to no good…" The ex-assassin mused as she slipped into a more comfortable shirt to sleep in as well.

"Yeah not to mention that you can see as well in the dark as you can in the daytime if not better…" "I can barely see anything down here right now as dim as the light coming from the few lanterns is." Lina added._ I seriously doubt that I'd even be willing to __**try**__ sleeping in a place this shady without Kat around unless I absolutely had too… _"Ok, so I guess that means I'm getting in first." She said before hopping up and into the opening of the rack and shimmying over to the far end of it and then faltering. "Uhm, there's no way we're both sleeping in this thing shoulder to shoulder, Kat…"

"Hum…?" "Oh, try turning over on your side, we should both fit that way…" "I'd keep my back to the wall though, just so that you don't have to struggle to turn around if you need to get out of the rack quickly for some reason." The ex-assassin said as she removed her boots. _Awww…is something leaking in here…? _She thought to herself in dismay. _I don't smell anything all that unusual in here…I suppose it's just condensation. _She added to herself.

"Sounds like you just found that puddle, Kat." The redhead said wryly.

"Yes thank you soooo very much for the warning, Lina..." The half elf replied sarcastically.

Lina merely giggled at this before rolling onto her side and pressing her back up against the cool back wall of the rack while stifling a shiver.

After the sorceress had at least somewhat situated herself inside, the mostly platinum haired warrior placed a leg in the opening of the rack before easing herself into it on her side and scooting in back first as well.

"G'night, Kat…" Lina said.

"Night, Red." Katibree replied as she reached out and slid the beaten up privacy curtain across the opening of their rack.

Lina rolled her ruby colored eyes in the darkness at this. _There she goes again with the 'Red' business again, I swear I'll die of embarrassment if we meet up with the rest of the gang and any of them start calling me that… honestly I don't even know why I put up with it! _She balked at this last thought with growing perplexity.

…_Well, why do you put up with it then, Lina? _She finally asked herself.

The sorceress mulled this question over in her mind a few minutes with a genuinely surprised expression on her face in the darkness. _If Gourry or even __**Amelia**__ started calling me that, and I found out the reason they gave me the nickname was the same reason that Katibree gave me it… I-I'd be so mad that I'd blast them into next week without a second thought… But…I didn't do that to Kat when I first found out… I mean, I wasn't even really mad… I was more embarrassed than anything now that I'm really thinking about it, but still…_

Her thoughts trailed off as she shifted uncomfortably in the rack. _But still, embarrassment of that caliber should have at least warranted a fireball, if not worse…So why didn't I…? The only thing that…really makes any sense is…_Lina began to turn an interesting shade of red in the darkness of the rack as the answer slowly came to her. _I-I…I actually kind of like it when she calls me that…? Well, yeah… I guess now that I'm really thinking about it, the nickname really is a dirty little secret…but I'd never admit to her that I kind of like the idea of that… or anyone else for that matter. _

Deciding to save that last decidedly confusing train of thought for later contemplation, Lina laid there motionless for a long time, just listening to the creaking of the ship, the faint background noises of the other passengers, and Katibree's quiet breathing before finally beginning to doze off, but just as she had begun to finally fall asleep, her nose began to itch as it was tickled slightly by the larger girl's mostly platinum colored mane.

The redhead squeaked at this and abruptly jerked a hand up to try and scratch it, wracking it against the top of the confining rack painfully. "Ow… damn **it**!" She exclaimed quietly before shifting her weight about in the rack uncomfortably once more.

"What was that..?" Katibree asked with a quiet laugh.

"**That** was your **hair**, not being all braided up for once, and being a complete pain in my **ass**!" The sorcery genius whispered back agitatedly while attempting to nurse her abused hand in the small space.

"Oh, sorry about that…" The half elf said with a smile before reaching back as well as she could manage and pulling her crimson streaked hair forward, draping as much of it as she could over her neck and out of Lina's way. "Is that better?" She asked afterwards.

"Yeah, a little." The redhead replied with a small sigh. _I guess I really shouldn't be complaining about being so close to Kat while trying to sleep on a ship as cold and damp as this one is… I'd be laying here freezing if I were by myself right now…_She thought to herself while closing her ruby colored eyes, enjoying the feel of the heat radiating off of the half elf. _That actually feels allot better tonight than it usually does for some reason…_The sorceress added to herself nervously… _I-I guess it's because up until this point there was never a reason for us to really sleep this closely together…I didn't realize that having that foot or so between us that we're normally used to could make that much of a difference_… She continued to herself while blushing slightly in the darkness.

Feeling decidedly guilty about this train of thought for some reason, Lina hurriedly went about preoccupying herself with the task of finding a place to put her left arm that wasn't too horrendously uncomfortable to either her or Katibree.

After a few moments of listening to the redhead fidget in the tight confines of the rack, the mostly platinum haired warrior finally spoke. "Can't get to sleep?" She asked while doing her best to crane her neck around to look at the younger girl.

"No, and I was pretty tired too…" The sorcery genius brooded. "I'm just starting to feel all… antsy all of the sudden…" She added.

"Antsy…?" The ex-assassin repeated while raising a mostly platinum colored eyebrow at the smaller girl.

"Yeah… that's the only way that I can really think to describe it..." Lina said evasively. "And I can't find a place to put my arm that doesn't absolutely **suck** either… it's really starting to get on my nerves…" She added in annoyance.

"Try slipping it underneath my neck then, that should work out Ok." Katibree said before turning her head back to the front of the rack.

"Are you… are you sure you don't mind?" The sorcery genius asked tentatively.

"What, are you worried about, invading my 'personal space' or something, Lina?" The half elf asked wryly. "I'd say it's a little too late for either of us to really start having reservations about that anymore." She added with a quiet laugh.

"Good point." Lina replied with a giggle before maneuvering her arm to a decent angle until she could finally carefully slip it underneath the crook of Katibree's neck. "Are you good with that?" She asked the larger girl after she was situated.

"Right as rain." The ex-assassin replied. "What about you?" She asked.

"It feels… it feels allot better that way…" "A-allot better than trying to shove it underneath or in front of me and between us anyway…" The redhead stammered flusteredly as the feel of the half elf's warm breath played across her forearm causing it to tingle, triggering her aforementioned 'antsy' feeling to intensify."

(L) _What the hell is wrong with me tonight…? I can't seem to relax to save my life! _The Lina thought to herself with some agitation as an even more pronounced blush colored her cheeks thanks to her steadily raising body temperature. _Just take a deep breath, relax, and try and get some sleep or you're going to feel like hammered crap in the morning Lina…_She told herself angrily._ Maybe I'm feeling so restless because it's so confined in here…If I scoot up some so that my back isn't pressed completely up against this wall… then I'd probably feel less cramped. _She deducted before scooting forward with a grunt and freezing at the sensation of her chest grazing a certain half elf's back. _K, maybe that's a little too close…_The redhead thought to herself sheepishly.

Katibree, who'd been having quite the time attempting to fall asleep herself; froze as well, her breath catching in her throat at the sudden feel of the sorceress's breasts against her back. _Ok, this is very close quarters, and I was the one that made the joke about personal space pretty much being a moot point now… _She rationalized to herself. This time it was her turn to shift in the rack uneasily.

This sudden movement from the half elf elicited an involuntary gasp from the sorceress as her nipples were lightly grazed through the thin material of her nightshirt, causing them to harden immediately, all the while sending another unexpected wash of unfamiliar sensations coursing through her body and causing her heart to race even more quickly. _It just keeps getting hotter and hotter in here, and my heart's in overdrive… I can actually feel it in my throat now, and it's only getting worse... It's like I'm losing total control of my body all of the sudden, what the __**hell**__ is going on…? _She wondered to herself feverishly while struggling to control her breathing. _I feel like I'm going to lose my __**mind**__ if I don't doing __**something**__, but I don't know what that something __**is**__…And now there's something weird going on down __**there**__ too… _The redhead continued to herself while struggling to make sense of what was going on with her body and failing miserably, the distracting feelings announcing themselves in her nether regions only serving to further add to her confusion and growing panic.

(K) _What's she up to back there…? _Katibree wondered to herself before being blindsided with a potent whiff of Lina's pheromones. Still reeling from that, she was hit with another scent which she found far more disconcerting coming from the redhead…fear. This immediately set off alarm bells in the ex-assassin's head and she craned her neck around once again to try and get a good look at the younger girl. "Lina, are you alright back there…?" She asked, doing her best to keep at least some of the concern out of her voice.

"I-I'm not sure actually…" Lina replied in a barely audible voice. "Just started… shaking and stuff for no reason…" She added with a weak laugh.

"Little touch of claustrophobia maybe..?"

"I don't know… maybe… but, I think that there's something else going on too…" The redhead tried to explain before trailing off in embarrassment.

_Yeah, I figured as much… really not the place or time for that though…_"You Ok now?" the half elf asked quietly.

The sorceress let out a shaky breath much to her dismay, before finally replying. "…Yeah, I think so…"

Katibree merely reached back wordlessly with her right hand and found Lina's own right hand, bringing them both back around to rest on her stomach with Lina's hand underneath hers, before interlocking her fingers with the sorceress's reassuringly. "Just try to relax and get some sleep and we'll talk about it later on, alright Red?"

The feel of the larger girl's hand over her own was unexpected and defiantly something that the sorcery genius wasn't used to, but it was somehow… comforting.

"I ahh… alright..." She finally murmured back quietly. _This is…kinda weird, but at the same time…it's pretty nice too…_Lina thought to herself as the panic that she'd just been assaulted with gradually began to melt away leaving her with a drained feeling accompanied by an undertone of those 'distracting' feelings that were still lingering but less noticeable now.

The sorcery genius laid that way for several minutes attempting to force herself to think logically about what had just happened, but every time she tried to focus her thoughts on the incident, her attention was only drawn back to the feel of the older girl's hand over hers and the sensation of both of their hands raising and lowering with the half elf's stomach as she breathed. _I guess it really doesn't matter anymore now that whatever was wrong is over with… I mean, I still feel something, but at least my body isn't freaking out on me anymore. Either way, it's blatantly obvious now that Kat was completely serious when she said that personal space is pretty much null and void tonight..._ _If that's the case then, I suppose I shouldn't hold back on trying to get as comfortable as possible… _Lina rationalized with herself. Just then the ship hit a sizeable wave, making it tilt momentarily in the water and causing the redhead to slide forward in the rack closing the last few inches between her and the half elf and pressing their bodies firmly together.

(K) "Looks like we've finally made our way into the storm." Katibree murmured after a short time of apprehensive silence.

"…Yeah, looks that way." The sorceress finally replied in a husky voice that she hardly recognized to be her own as something within her first contracted and then loosened, sending a wave of feelings similar to the ones from earlier coursing through her body and causing her to tense up. …_I don't even care anymore. _She finally thought to herself with a deep sigh while forcing herself to relax once more and willing her heart rate to return to normal again. _It's not like it hurts or anything… it actually feels kind of - - well it's weird that it's coming from where it's coming from, but I don't think that I'm in any immediate danger… I'll deal with it tomorrow, but for right now… all I want to do is get some sleep. _The Lina finished to herself as she finally cast off her last bit of reservations about the entire situation and simply gave in to the urge to press her face to the back of Katibree's neck, the silky feel of the hair draped over and flowing around it now decidedly more pleasant than annoying. _If she doesn't care… then why should I? _She reasoned with herself groggily as the rocking of the ship accompanied with the familiar fragrance of the half elf's hair lulled her to sleep, and a fairly short while afterwards, her companion followed suit as well.


	41. Chapter 41

Lina awoke the next morning to an empty rack and surrounded by pitch blackness. She took a moment to gain her bearings while listening to what sounded like the sound of someone rummaging through something just outside. "…Katibree...?" The redhead finally asked.

"I'm here." The half elf affirmed as she changed into her gear in the darkness.

"Is it even daytime yet?" "It's even darker down here now than before we went to bed." The sorceress said as she felt for the edge of the rack before finally scooting forward to the opening of it.

"I believe I can hear the sound of the vessel being moored outside, so my guess is that the few lanterns that were down here ran out of oil sometime during the night…" "So did you want to go slinky merc again today as well?" the ex-assassin added wryly.

_Slinky huh…? _Lina thought to herself with a smile. "Sure why not, but do me a favor and go to infrared vision real quick so I can see about where you are before I slide off of this thing." She finally replied back.

"Don't you hate it when I use heat vision?" Katibree teased as she switched her vision over while retrieving the smaller girl's mercenary gear from their travel sack.

"I never said that I hated it, it just scared the hell outta me the first time I saw you use it!" The sorcery genius said with a laugh. "I mean, it was so black out you could cut the darkness with a knife, and all of the sudden I wake up to the sound of something moving in the bushes outside of camp…" She explained while sliding the rest of the way out of the rack and standing. "And then when I turned my head to see if you'd heard it too, I come face to face with a set of glowing eyes that nearly give me a heart attack!" "You're lucky I didn't fireball you right then and there…!" The redhead finished with a giggle.

"Yeah well on the upside, your screaming chased off whatever was creeping around in the brush." The mostly platinum haired warrior chuckled as she began handing Lina pieces of her mercenary gear.

"That's true…" Lina said as she pulled on her boots. "But, if you can see so well in the dark, why'd you switch to infrared vision to begin with?"

"Because different temperatures have a different color, cooler objects show up mostly as shades of blue and green where warmer objects are shades of red, orange, and yellow." Katibree explained while repacking their bag.

"Alright, I get it…" "So cool leaves would be a huge contrast to a warm body with you using that type of vision, while the body might be able to blend in with the brush while searching for it with normal vision because they may or may not be the same color…" The redhead mused while running her fingers over her talisman's in the darkness to determine which went where by the size and shape of them.

"You've got it, Red." The ex-assassin affirmed cheerfully.

"Well, if that's the case… this ship is pretty cool, what do I look like right now?" The sorcery genius asked while clipping her talismans in their respective places.

"A miniature sun." The half elf replied with a smirk.

_Hum I wonder…_Lina thought to herself as she began to build magical energy. "How about now?" She finally asked.

"Now… you're really starting to hurt my eyes Lina." The mostly platinum haired warrior said while wincing slightly.

"Sorry about that Kat, but I just want to try one more thing." The sorceress explained as she dispersed the magical energy that she'd just gathered. "What color are my talismans right now to you?"

"Your talismans…?" "Dark blue, about the same as most of the rest of the ship right now." Katibree replied.

"Ok…" Lina said before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Lords of darkness of the four worlds, grant me all the power you possess…" "What about now?" She finally inquired while doing her best to make out the half elf's features in the darkness by the faint lavender colored glow of her eyes.

"They lit up from your right wrist, to your belt, to your left wrist, in that order and then they flickered and went cold again." The ex-assassin replied thoughtfully.

"The one on my neck never lit up at all?" Lina asked.

"Not at all." Katibree affirmed.

_So that must be the talisman that broke the chain… _"Looks like we just found Dark Star's bum talisman Kat!" "And if the other three were at least partially activated before Dark Star's talisman failed to activate, causing the spell to misfire…" The redhead mused before trailing off.

"Then there's most likely a way to alter the incantation to call upon the power of three dark Lords instead of four with the remaining unsealed talismans." The mostly platinum haired warrior finished for her.

"You've got it!" The sorcery genius exclaimed while flashing a victory sign. "So you ready to get outta here Kat, I'll get the pack this time." She added.

"Works for me, have your eyes adjusted to the dark any?" The half elf asked.

"Not really, I can see some murky shapes here and there now, but it's really not enough for me to try and navigate back above decks without the risk of breaking my neck…" Lina explained while feeling for their travel pack before hefting it over a shoulder. _And if I cast a light spell, I'll be able to see just fine… But then you'll be blind instead of me. _She added silently to herself with a sheepish look on her face.

"That's no problem, just put your hand on my shoulder and I can lead you up to where there's some decent light then." Katibree replied lightly.

A few minutes later the girls had made their way back up above decks where Lina was leaning over the railing watching the docking process with several other passengers while Katibree, who was much slower at adjusting to abrupt changes in light intensity, still stood at the hatch that they had emerged from shielding her eyes and squinting into the broad daylight with obvious discomfort.

After the ex-assassin had adjusted to the change in lighting enough for it to no longer be painful, she joined the redhead leaning on the guard rail and watched the docking process as well.

"Hey… Kat?"

"Yes, Lina?"

"Uhm… well about last night…" The sorceress began quietly.

"I think it would be best to postpone that conversation for after we've dealt with our audience with King Gheyahsayl today, Red." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while turning her head to watch the passengers head toward the lowering ramp leading off of the ship. _Besides, I'm not really even sure what to make of what was going on last night myself just yet._

(L) _I can see the logic in that, but still... _The sorcery genius thought to herself with an agitated rustle of her crimson mane. "Alright, let's get this thing over with then." She finally said before breaking into a jog in the direction of the off-ramp.

"H-hey…?" The half elf called after her in surprise before finally shrugging and jogging after her. "Do you even know where you're going, Lina?" She asked the younger girl in bemusement once she'd caught up to her.

"Well, you said we were going to have an audience with the King right?" "So, I'm guessing that **huge** castle towering off in the distance would be where we're headed…" Lina replied somewhat dryly as they walked on the bright multicolored cobblestone streets leading in the direction of the castle.

_Ouch, stupid question I guess. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the rack today. _Katibree thought to herself with a smirk. "Alright, well what do you think of the Kingdom so far then?"

"I don't know, it's not bad I guess." The sorceress in disguise replied as she surveyed her surroundings. "But it's really weird here, not to mention the fact that I've never even heard of this place before." "I thought my knowledge of the world was pretty extensive, but this place isn't even on the map..."

"Well, there's allot that you still don't haven't discovered about the world on this side of the barrier just yet, Lina" Katibree explained. "No matter how often you check the updates, there just hasn't been enough time to expect to know so much." "Anyway, this is a very obscure area as it is." "Most people don't know about this kingdom on either side of the barrier."

"And, why is that?" Lina asked.

"Let's just say... that this place only appeals to a certain type of crowd." Katibree replied as the two of them followed a colorfully dressed escort leading the way to the throne room doors.

"Still Kat, regardless of what you say, I don't see how we'd find any useful leads here as a posed to anywhere else we've looked." Lina said placing her hands behind her head as she walked.

"You'd be surprised at the connections a place like this has." The ex-assassin said with a mischievous glance."

"Whatever you say." The red head replied as two strangely attired guards parted allowing them through two enormous gold plated, beautifully decorated double doors leading into the throne room.

"Well what do we have here!?" The crowned King Gheyahsayl asked exuberantly. "Hello travelers, and welcome to the great kingdom of GHEYAHSAYL!" He exclaimed posturing flamboyantly. "It's good to see that you are well Mistress Do'Urden!"

(L) _She's never even told __**me**__ her last-name before, and this __**weirdo**__ knows it - -_

"Mistress?!" Lina suddenly exclaimed audibly interrupting her own train of thought. _Just what the heck is going on here?_ The sorceress wondered struggling to comprehend everything going on at once.

(KG) "What can I do for you this fine day my dear sisters?" King Gheyahsayl continued.

(L) _And how the __**hell**__ does she even know this guy to begin with, and what's up with this __**mistress**__ stuff?_ Lina fumed silently while moving her ruby colored gaze first to the King and then back to an amused looking Katibree. "Sisters?" "And what does he mean by SISTERS exactly?" Lina interjected before Katibree could respond to the King's inquiry. She was quickly beginning to lose her temper.

(K) "Just relax Lina, I'll explain everything to you later, the half elf hissed to the smoldering sorceress in a vain attempt to calm her down.

The red head shot Katibree an aggravated glare. "Oh **no**, I've HAD it with this! She exclaimed. "It's always later this and **later** that with you!" "I want an answer and I want one **NOW**."

"L-Lina..." The flustered half elf stammered --

"There was that deal that happened on the ship that you never explained, and now all of **this**!" Lina interrupted lowering her head and clenching her fists.

"Now is not the best time Lina..." the mostly platinum haired warrior said giving the redhead a pleading gesture. She could feel the magical energy building within the sorceress. _Lina's really getting worked up about this. Katibree thought with a sweat drop. I may be in good with Gheyahsayl but, if she totals the throne room... I've got to find a way to calm her --"_

"DON'T just stand there Iwantan**explanation**!" the fiery red head blurted interrupting Katibree's thoughts.

"Well, the two subjects are kinda related in a round about sort of way." Katibree laughed --

"And just HOW are a bunch of guys dressed up in NAGA looking get-ups related to last-night --"

The ex-assassin interrupted her rant with a sudden but gentle embrace.

The building power within the sorceress all but vanished as her shocked ruby colored eyes met those mysterious lavender orbs.

"Just trust me, alright Red?" Katibree asked quietly with a quick little wink.

"Uhhuhheh..." Lina managed forcing herself to break eye contact. "Fine, let's just get this over with." she finished while blushing profusely and taking a sudden interest in the patterns on the intricately jeweled throne room ceiling. _There it is again, that same feeling from last-night... it's not as intense as before but... _Lina's thoughts trailed off as she monitored how her body was behaving. _It's like I suddenly have a fever or something just like before. _Her knees began to give as that same sensation in her nether regions began to announce itself suddenly.

She partially stifled an involuntary gasp while struggling to compose herself. _It's like my body has a mind of it's own... Either way, I'm not going to let royalty see me like this. _Lina thought as she absently slipped an arm around the larger woman's waist to support herself while the feeling in her legs returned.

She forced herself to meet the half elf's gaze one last time before shifting her body to address King Gheyahsayl and prompting Katibree to relinquish the sudden embrace.

The King, who'd been observing the two of them with more than slight amusement until this point, spoke again. "Well, it's apparent that the two of you have had a less than relaxing trip to this land." "Let us postpone this audience until morning." he continued as he summoned a servant to his side with an exaggerated gesture. "My foreign sisters are to be shown to their room, have a feast prepared and delivered to them as well." he explained to the servant.

"With hospitality like this, it's pretty easy to overlook their fashion sense." Lina murmured, the distracting sensations she'd been experiencing a moment ago all but forgotten by the promise of royal cuisine.

"Your quarters." the colorfully attired servant stated dutifully, as he motioned the sorceress and ex-assassin toward a large set of intricately carved doors. _This is the door to a bedroom?!_ Lina thought as she gaped at the massive solid oak doors. The servant forced one of the heavy doors open with a grunt and showed the two inside.

"No **way**!" Lina exclaimed in amazement.

The room was enormous with a bed big enough to fit four good sized people in it comfortably hardly even noticing each-other, but that wasn't even the amazing part... Across the huge expanse of room, in a tiled off area was what looked like a hot tub! Upon closer inspection it basically turned out to be an over blown bathtub.

"And you're sure this is the right room?" Lina inquired with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Yes Malady." the petite escort replied with a curt nod, causing his dark, shoulder length hair to pitch forward momentarily concealing his handsome face.

The room was decorated in the colors of royalty, purple, gold, and white. Even the bedding appeared to be white silk, and satin with gold stitching and purple trim.

"He actually expects us to sleep on this?" Lina hissed at Katibree. The ex-assassin merely shrugged in that disinterested way that she always did while turning to catch the servant before he was out of earshot.

"Where might I find the assortment of beverages?" she asked him.

"Figures, you're such a lush..." The redhead said with a roll of her ruby colored eyes.

"My apologies." the escort answered, re-entering the room and hurrying over to what looked like a cask for clothing to be hung inside of. He opened the doors to reveal that it was actually a wine cellar extending back into the castle wall.

"Of course, many thanks friend." Katibree replied ignoring Lina's snide remark.

With that, the servant wordlessly let himself out of the grandiose room shutting the door behind him with a heavy "thud".

"I'll bet that they have every kind of wine that Zephilia's ever put out..." Katibree mused while comparing labels in the wine cellar.

"What's the big deal?" Lina half sighed half yawned as she peered into the cellar boredly. "It's just wine..." she added.

"There are plenty of other things here besides wine, half of it I've never even -- holy-hell would you look at the proof on that!" Katibree exclaimed, her lavender eyes widening.

"Whatever floats your boat." Lina replied removing first her violet shoulder guards and then her thigh guards and forearm guards letting them drop wherever she happened to be at the moment. "And speaking of boats --"

"Ship technically." the half elf interjected while deciding on the type of wine she wanted to try.

"You **know** what I'm talking about!" the red head shot back as she made her way to the colossal bed.

"I know, just relax Lina." Katibree laughed. She'd narrowed the selection of wine down to two that she definitely wanted to try at this point. "I don't have a problem with explaining this to you Lina, but you're going to have to be more specific on what exactly it is that you want me to explain."

"Well, Lina began carefully as she recalled last-nights events, "I'm basically wondering what was going on with my body, it was like I was losing control of myself." she explained thoughtfully.

_She can't possibly be this repressed... it's ridiculous._ _Fine, I'll play along_. Katibree thought with a wry smirk as she finally decided on the wine that she wanted.

"It was like I was burning up all of the sudden, the sorceress continued, and then there was this really odd feeling..." Lina's words trailed off in embarrassment and she simply stared at the ceiling.

Katibree poked her head out of the wine cellar, curious about Lina's sudden silence only to catch a glimpse of the redhead staring at the ceiling while an idle hand trailed down her stomach toward what was most likely the source of her 'odd feeling'.

The half elf watched in fascination as Lina gasped at the touch of her own hand to such a sensitive area and yanked it away with a genuinely confused expression on her face, which then melted seamlessly to annoyance and finally dismissal.

"Holyshit." was all Katibree managed, changing out the wine she'd so carefully chosen for something considerably stronger as an afterthought. _I think she's dead serious... she really has no clue? _With that being done, she made her way to the monstrous bed herself decidedly even more uncomfortable with the entire situation now.

"I just haven't felt like myself at all lately." Lina continued as she removed her black fingerless gloves tossing them off to the side of the bed. "Do you think that I should go see a doctor or something?" she asked quietly." I'm just not quite sure what to make of what's going on with me."

_How am I supposed to answer her? She's so innocent that anything I say at this point is probably going to warp her. Lina should really find this stuff out for herself, but if she hasn't already at this age... I guess I should just be straight up with her. I'd love to see the expression on any doctor's face that she went and tried to explain this to. _The ex-assassin thought to herself. _The only thing that makes any sense to me is that she's somehow trained herself to repress or control her emotions so strongly that they're just finally starting to force --_

"So what do you think Kat?" the redhead asked interrupting the ex-assassin's thoughts

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought… Anyway, no amount of medicine or magic's going to cure 19 years of repression Lina." Katibree answered with a chuckle.

"Repression?" Lina repeated, giving the mostly platinum haired warrior a skeptical look.

"That's the only way that I can think of to explain it." the ex-assassin answered as she poured herself a glass of -- _What the heck is this anyway? I just snatched the strongest stuff in sight... 'Spiced Rum' huh?_ Katibree pondered. "Anyway, from what I can tell, Katibree continued after sniffing the strange amber liquid, you've somehow managed to nearly completely separate the connection between your body and mind unless it's magic related."

"I'm listening." The sorcery genius said with an unreadable expression on her face.

The half elf took a sip of rum, and after raising a mostly platinum eyebrow in surprise at the taste and burn, she continued. "For instance, when most people see or experience something that they find sexually excitin --"

"**SEXUAL WHA-**?" Lina exclaimed interrupting her.

"Look Lina, you've been hounding me for an explanation so just let me finish." Katibree stated matter of factly, that being said she took another sip from her glass.

"Fine, go on." Lina replied with a dangerous tone to her voice.

"Right." The half elf continued deciding to just cut to the chase this time after monitoring the sorceresses magical output cautiously for a moment. "The sensation that you were feeling on the ship last-night is called arousal."

"Arousal." Lina repeated with an odd expression on her face.

"Yes, but in your case it's all pretty much involuntary because the only part of your mind triggering it is the part of your mind that you aren't aware of, your subconscious."

"So what triggers these, involuntary responses?" the sorceress asked carefully.

"Experiencing or seeing something that's sexually enticing to you." Katibree replied flatly as she set her glass on the nightstand next to the bed. With that being said she simply laid back, folding her arms behind her head and closed her eyes. _Mine as well give her a chance to let that soak in. I feel like a professor teaching some twisted class about sexuality... I'm surprised Lina's not taking notes. This is all absolutely absurd._ Katibree thought to herself with a small sigh.

"So... what your saying is..." Lina pursued, but trailed off finding herself unable to complete the sentence with spoken words just yet. _Is that I feel the same thing for Kat as a women normally feels for a man?_ she finished mentally. _Well what's the point of that? I mean, I'm no where near what could be considered a conformist, but I was always taught that girls where supposed to find their prince or knight in shining armor eventually to settle down with and raise a family..._

She broke her thoughts momentarily to steal a quick look at the ex-assassin lounging seemingly carelessly across from her. _Well, she is very pretty... Drop dead gorgeous actually, but it's not like we could have kids together or anything. I know the mechanics of that at least._ She thought as she slowly moved her ruby colored eyes across those half elven features and flawless blue skin, her pupils dilating noticeably. She noticed her cheeks beginning to heat up and managed to rip her eyes away from Katibree with some embarrassment. _L-sama... am I actually considering this?_

_Well, if I'm supposed to sit around and wait to feel this way about a guy... I honestly don't think that will ever happen. Even with Gourry, I love the big lug and all but the only time I really got flustered around him was when I had the urge to hug him for no good reason, I've just never been all that comfortable with showing people my emotions or expressing them really. Either way, I've always had the urge to do something other than hug Kat…and Amelia too now that I'm really thinking about it... So what exactly is that... 'something', I mean two girls can't..? -- _

_Don't get ahead of yourself Lina._ She chided herself, redirecting her former train of thought with some serious effort. _Anyway, thinking about this logically, I can honestly say that I've traveled with Kat long enough to know that she wouldn't lie to me regardless of her prior profession, she just withholds information she doesn't care to talk about. And even if she's speaking from personal experience... I still don't see how she could diagnose what's going on with me with so little information. Which means there's always the chance that she could be wrong. So that leaves the question, how do I prove or disprove her theory?_

"Hey Kat?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, Lina?" the half elf replied, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Do thoughts work too? You, know, to trigger... the deal?" Lina managed to ask with some effort while blushing slightly. _God's I've been blushing all day long it seems. the redhead thought to herself with some annoyance._

"Yes they do, all thinking really entails is recalling or creating images, experiences, and ideas in your mind after all." "For the most part if you really have any imagination at all, the mind can't tell much of a difference and prompts the body to do pretty much the same thing." The mostly platinum haired warrior explained while opening her eyes momentarily to survey the room before closing them again. _She's treating this like some kind of experiment..._ Katibree thought with genuine amusement. _This is just surreal._

(L) _OK, If thoughts work too, then going over what happened last-night should trigger something and cause the same effect... Provided Kat's right. _The red head figured._ So what exactly was going on right before my body wigged out on me again?_ Lina propped her head up a little further on the extravagant pillow to get more comfortable as she worked on putting her photographic memory to a decidedly different use than memorizing incantations and the like.

_I remember we where on this ship and got assigned to this really crappy bed that was closer to a coffin with an opening on the side instead of the top... Kat called it a 'rack' I think. I remember getting in first with my back to the wall, and she got in next with her back to me... It was really cold and damp on the ship and I distinctly remember the heat radiating off of her body, and how nice it felt... _

Lina's thoughts trailed off as she noticed her face once again heating up. _Well, that's symptom number one, but that's nothing new, especially not today. What else? That's right, I remember moving around trying to get comfortable and Kat suggesting that I try and get my left arm underneath her neck. And after I'd managed that, I scooted away from the wall to feel a little less cramped...And then...I noticed the feel of her back pressed against my... _

The sorceress' thoughts trailed off once again as she monitored that unmistakable sensation from last-night and earlier today as it took root in her loins. _Yeah, that's pretty much the same feeling I felt the last two times that I noticed it, only the first time it happened I freaked out because I thought something was wrong with me… I guess that settles it then._ Lina thought taking in a sharp breath as she once again felt herself contract and loosen, releasing an increasingly familiar ripple of pleasure_. Hell, it's even worse than before. I guess, the more I pay attention to it... the easier it is to...tap into it I guess you'd call it._

_Well… what now?_ She wondered shifting her weight on the bed slightly before stealing another glance at Katibree who appeared to possibly be dozing. The ripple of pleasure from before had only made things worse. She could feel the now all to familiar sensation intensify and felt herself tightening up again in preparation to release the tension with another contraction.

_It's really hard to think clearly like this... It's like my body's egging itself on..._ She thought as she willed herself to relax, attempting to clear her thoughts and ignore the steadily increasing pulse of her heart in her throat.

_OK, that's more bearable._ The red head thought to herself after a short moment while doing her best to completely ignore the subsiding but still insistent throbbing of her womanhood.

"Kat?" Lina asked tentatively.

"Yes?" the ex-assassin answered, careful to sound as impartial as she'd ever sounded in her entire life. _This conversation is strictly for educational purposes._ She reminded herself with some serious discomfort.

"What is this?" "Does it have a name?" Lina inquired as she lavished the ceiling with yet more attention.

The mostly platinum warrior couldn't help but smile at this. _She makes it sound like it's some type of disease. _"That depends." She finally answered with a chuckle.

"Depends on what?" Lina shot back with an irritated glance in the half elf's direction.

Katibree opened a lavender eye and merely peered at Lina.

"Well?!" the red head demanded, that dangerous edge returning to her voice that Katibree knew all too well.

"Someone who is attracted to both men and women is called Bi-sexual... or "Bi" for short." the mostly platinum haired warrior replied finally.

_I'm not so sure that applies to me as far as things stand right now._ Lina thought to herself gloomily. "Well, what are normal people called then?" she asked quietly.

Katibree laughed once more at the term 'normal' before answering. "Heterosexual or 'Straight" in less clinical terms."

Straight huh? Lina mused to herself. "And what about the other two options?" she asked.

"Gay." Katibree stated flatly.

"That's it?!" "Your telling me that both guys and girls that like the same gender are just clumped into one category like that??" Lina blurted defensively.

"Can be, yes." the half elf replied disinterestedly.

She's not taking this seriously at -- "Wind which flows gently across the land...!"

The ex-assassin's eyes popped open in alarm as her skin began to tingle in response to the rapid increase in Lina's magical energy. She could actually feel static electricity accumulating in the air around them as well. With this, she turned her head to look at Lina who was in turn glaring right back at her with those fiery red orbs of hers.

"Lina, I'd really prefer not to be electrocut --"

"Then **quit** stringing me ALONG!" Lina interjected, a Digger Bolt hovering in her left hand menacingly.

"Look, a female who is attracted exclusively to other women can also be referred to as a lesbian." Katibree finished. "I don't why you're getting so bent out of shape about this, It's really not that big of a deal." she added re-closing her eyes.

Lina dispelled the Digger Bolt and flopped back on the bed with a deep sigh. _Maybe not to you._ She thought. _I can't believe I missed all of this until now... I mean I always knew there was a weird connection between Kat and I but... not anything like this. Well, maybe deep down I knew. After seeing her gear and the way she mowed down those bandits the way she did the day we first met, I had a pretty good idea of what she was all about. Definitely the type of person that I'd usually avoid all together, and yet I walked right up to her and started a conversation. Not like me at all really. Especially not without Gourry being there to back me up... _"Kat...?" Lina asked again after a short period of silence.

_Here we go..._ Katibree thought to herself. "Yes?"

"So what -- Does -- Are you... straight?" Lina finally managed, hoping to L-sama that the half elf couldn't somehow sense how red her face was at the moment.

"No, I'm about as crooked as you can get." the ex-assassin sighed while opening her eyes just long enough to turn her head and glance at the two enormous bedroom doors across from them.

"I wasn't talking about your old job, Kat." Lina teased propping herself up with an elbow –

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Looks like the food has arrived." Katibree murmured as she rolled off the bed and to her feet in one fluid motion with a rustle of her cloak. _Gods I've got get some __**air**_The half elf thought to herself.

_I'm practically __**drowning**__ in Lina's 'come-hither' pheromones, they're everywhere and it's only getting worse. It's going to be next to impossible to keep myself in check much longer at this rate and I'm starting to have reservations as to whether or not it's even worth it anymore._

Lina stared silently after Katibree torn terribly between the thought of delicious food and the maddening throbbing between her thighs. "Ugh!" she moaned with indecisive frustration, throwing herself backward into the softness of the huge bed once more.

Katibree greeted the servants and took the overflowing cart from them wheeling it into the bedroom herself. After positioning it next to the bed for Lina's convenience, she picked up her blades and refastened them to her belt.

"Uh, aren't... you're not even going to eat?" Lina stammered sitting back up in bed.

"Maybe later." the mostly platinum haired warrior replied. "I prefer to train before I eat." _She really need some serious time to think about this before she goes jumping into anything, and so do I…_

"Train?!" The redhead exclaimed in disbelief. "You're gonna go train right now?" she reiterated asked with a comically forlorn expression on her face.

"I didn't get around to it yesterday." "Can't let myself get soft." Katibree explained matter of factly as she headed once more for the huge bedroom doors. "I'll probably be back in a few hours alright?" the half elf called over her shoulder.

"Probably." Lina repeated with a conflicted expression on her face.

"Just try and save me a drumstick or something Ok?" the ex-assassin added before shutting the door quietly behind her. She then leaned back against the solid wooden doors a moment with her hands on her face sighing deeply. _Whew, I've have to work this off... I can barely think straight._

With that, Lina fell forward face first onto the bed. "You've **got** to be **kidding** meeeee." she whined into the mattress with that familiar haggard and broken tone that she used so often when complaining. "Mmmhumhuhmmmphrmm..." she groaned before pulling herself up and crawling toward the over flowing cart of food on the other side of the bed with crocodile tears glistening in her ruby eyes.

The sorceress wasn't sure exactly what it was that she had wanted, but she was very sure of what she hadn't wanted, and that was Kat leaving.

"Damn **it**, what'd she have to go and _**leave**_ like that for?" She fumed while doing her best to ignore the aching protests of her womanhood. "Argh, that's **just** like her!"

Shaking her head slightly in an attempt to dispel all the new questions and doubts flooding her mind, she opened up the first platter of amazing smelling food and instantly felt a little better, the maddening throbbing subsiding for the moment.


	42. Chapter 42

(K) _I know that Lina's probably back there stuffing her face and cursing my name right now for just taking off like that, but what was I supposed to do…? _Katibree brooded to herself as she made her way down the vibrantly colored corridors of the castle briskly in search of a place to blow off some steam. Soon enough she spotted an area in the courtyard with a small training area and headed for it.

Upon arriving, she stopped in front of a battered wooden training post with her eyes closed and centered herself before finally taking a combat stance and continuing her train of thought. _The last thing that she needs to do is even __**consider**__ getting involved with someone as screwed up as me… There still so much that she doesn't know._

_And then there's the fact that my mind has been going nonstop lately…So many strange thoughts and emotions… I really have no idea how to deal with them, and it's not like I can just turn them off or ignore them - - _"Ah, fuck." The ex-assassin swore in frustration before leaping in the air and wracking the post with a heavy spin-kick, shaking it violently and knocking splinters from it. _The only thing that I can really think to do to diffuse this whole mess is to just leave and save us both allot of pain and grief, but there's no way that I can just abandon her and leave to deal with this myself, she's already way too involved_ _- -_

(?) "Something irking you Mistress Do'Urden…?" A voice filled with good humor asked.

The half elf stopped in mid punch to glance over her shoulder at the sound of the voice. "I was wondering how long were going to hover about in the darkness over there, Gheyahsayl." She replied.

"Oh come now, you make it sound as if I were eavesdropping my dear girl!" The King laughed as he made his way over to the training ground area.

"If there'd been a conversation for you to eavesdrop on, I'm sure you would have been." Katibree said dryly, before turning back to the post and assaulting it with a flurry of striking attacks.

The jovial man merely clasped his hands together and giggled at this, before removing his gem encrusted crown and bowing deeply in mock apology. "Oh yes, you do have me there… I always have been the nosy type!" "So, why don't you humor my hubris and tell me where your little missus is?" He asked with an exaggerated flip of his blonde hair.

The half elf stopped her routine once again to give the King an annoyed look. "Gods Ruben, do you really think you could flame any harder…?" "And Lina and I are not… an '**item**' if that's what you're getting at." She added with a roll of her lavender colored eyes before giving the wooden post a particularly vicious palm strike.

"Hum… is that so…?" "But, she really did seem particularly distressed when I referred to you as 'Mistress' she did." He mused while casting a levitation spell and lighting on the top of the post that Katibree was currently trying to use. "Could it be that you failed to mention that 'Mistress' is actually your proper title as you are indeed a female whom has achieved the rank of Master assassin in your affiliation…?"

The ex-assassin groaned in exasperation and walked over to another training post before answering. "Look, it's not like that…" "It just pisses her off when I keep things from her is all." "And besides, the only reason you even bother to call me by my proper title is because you think it sounds kinky…" She replied while spinning and giving the new post a forearm smash, the sound of her metal bracer striking the wooden post ringing out harshly in the quiet of the courtyard.

Ruben grinned knowingly at this statement and promptly levitated over to the newest post and sat on it, swinging his legs back and forth carelessly. "Oh, come now Katibree… or should I say 'Kat', she's even got a pet name for you!" "And on top of that, I've seen the way you two look at each other…" He added with a coy wink.

"…Gheyahsayl, get off the pole..." The ex-assassin sighed.

"I simply cannot my dear; I've a natural affinity for them!" The King chirped back happily.

The mostly platinum haired warrior could help but crack a smile at this. "Whatever, either way… since you're out here annoying me… why don't we get some business out of the way?" She finally replied while stifling a laugh.

"Uh, uh, uhhhh…!" "You know my policy well, Mistress Do'Urden!" "Pleasure before business…" Ruben practically purred. "I require all of the juicy bits about you and this delightful little firecracker you've brought to my Kingdom!"

Katibree gritted her teeth at this. "There are no juicy details to tell." She finally replied shortly.

"Come now, it's obvious that there's something going on with that little show of tenderness in the throne room earlier today..." Gheyahsayl mock pouted. "How do you feel about her?" He added cheerfully.

"That was just to keep her from totaling your throne room, she's got a temper you wouldn't believe - - Is this really necessary, Gheyahsayl…?" The half elf asked in annoyance. _This guy always manages to drag things out of me that I don't care to talk about, it's infuriating…He's __**almost**__ as bad as Red is about it…_

"Most certainly, I decree it!" The King said while gesturing on the training post flamboyantly before jumping down to the ground. "Seriously, I can tell that you have changed quite a bit… and I'm betting it's her doing." He added more solemnly. "I even got you to laugh, which wouldn't have had a snowball's chance in hell of happening when we first met all those years ago." "Your eyes were always so cold bef- -"

"Enough with the dramatic shit already, Ruben." Katibree interrupted while sitting down abruptly. "Look, I'm not sure how I feel about her ok… all I know is… I'm feeling allot of things that I've never felt before and… I'm not sure I like it." She finally managed while averting her lavender eyes and rubbing the back of her neck uneasily.

"King Gheyahsayl exploded into uproarious laughter at this. "Oh, now I see!" "You're starting to feel disconcerted because you're beginning to realize that you're finally up against something that you can't beat, kill, or control and you're thinking about tucking tail and running like a scalded dog!" "It's not in you to love and leave this one like all the others huh??" He practically roared while falling backwards and clapping his hands and feet together enthusiastically.

Katibree's lavender eyes widened in shock a moment and she just stared at the exuberantly gesturing man blankly a long moment as he acted out his theatrics. "I-I…It's not like that, I just…!" She sputtered with her voice cracking slightly. _Is he… right? Is that what I've been worried about? I mean do I… Am I in- -_

"So that's it is it?" Trying to come to terms with your affections for the little firepot…?" Ruben asked with a much too pleased look on his face, effectively interrupting and seemingly intruding into the half elf's thoughts.

"…!" "Look, I've entertained your little game long enough Gheyahsayl, now let's get down to business." The ex-assassin finally said crossly.

"Fine, fine… What do you need…?" The King asked dejectedly.

"We're looking for a device that's capable of opening a portal to an alternate dimension, the Overworld specifically." Katibree explained while stifling a grateful sigh due to the fact that the King had conceded to let up on the previous topic of discussion so easily.

Gheyahsayl laid back on the rust colored titles of the training area nonchalantly and folded his hands behind his head while he thought a moment before finally speaking once more.

"Yes, we have one of those… I don't think it'll do you and the little lady any good though." He said with a sigh. "From what I understand, a sufficient energy source was never found for it to draw from in order for it to operate it properly, and on top of that, the portal that it's designed to open is very minuscule… more of a test just to see if it could be created at all if anything… certainly nothing a human being could fit through."

"Well can you convert magical energy to run it?" The half elf asked.

"Sure, but a magic source was never found powerful enough to properly operate it either." Ruben explained while sitting up with a curious expression on his face. "Do you think that you have one…?"

"Huh, I believe I might have just the person." Katibree said with a smirk. "Can you have it ready by tomorrow?" She asked as she stood.

"No problem, I'll have the device and the researchers working on it standing by when you're ready for them…" _Well the only person she arrived with was - - So she's a __**sorceress**__…? I thought that little sparkplug might have looked familiar even though she was in mercenary gear…Wait a moment…the description __**is**__ about right…! We've got ourselves an honest to goodness __**celebrity**_The King exclaimed to himself giddily while clasping his hands together with stars in his eyes.

"Ruben…?" "Are you… alright over there…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked unsurely.

"Hum… oh yes, Mistress Do'Urden…" "And I must say that you've done pretty well for yourself…" Gheyahsayl added more to himself than to Katibree.

"Excuse me…?" The half elf asked.

"I understand that she must be in disguise for a reason, you're secret's safe with me…" The King said with a winning smile. "Either way if I were you and I was running, I'd most certainly be running in the opposite direction that you just appeared to be." "It takes a pretty extraordinary lady to break through all the barriers and complexes that you had up and apparently still have to some extent." He finished with a laugh.

The ex-assassin merely gave him the middle finger at this before turning and walking off. "Go screw yourself Ruben." She added with a chuckle while heading back in the direction of the quarters area of the castle. _I have no clue what I'm going to say once I get back there… I guess I'll just 'wing it'._

_Last disclaimer folks: graphic sex scene ahead! if this will offend you or you are underage... stop reading NOW! if you're good to go, let the Yuri commence and enjoy!_

Moments later, the mostly platinum haired warrior had made her way back to the room but merely stood there at the closed door a long moment with her forehead resting on it. _I guess it's time I told her… _She thought to herself with a deep sigh before steeling her resolve and opening a massive door and stepping through.

The half elf's thoughts of resolve and any other thoughts for that matter, virtually disintegrated at the unexpected sight of Lina in all her nude, glistening glory, stepping out of the grandiose bathtub across from her.

The redhead looked up at the sound of the door opening. "Oh heya Kat, back already?" She asked in surprise before noticing the expression on the older girl's face with a small smirk. _I'm pretty sure that the color that her face is right now probably isn't from the rigors of her training session…Everything is starting to make so much more sense now… _She thought to herself in amusement while leisurely reaching for a towel. "You mind shutting that door by the way…?" "The guys here my not be interested in seeing what I've got, but the girls on the other hand…" She said before trailing off with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Anyway, the tub'll be ready in a couple minutes if you want to take a bath; it refills itself and keeps the water heated afterwards, pretty handy actually…"

"Uhm uh - - yeah, thanks…sorry about the door." Katibree stammered as she closed it awkwardly.

"So, what's up?" "It's only been like 45 minutes and you normally train for hours." The sorcery genius continued while reaching for a complimentary silken bathrobe after she'd finished toweling off. "Hunger get the best of you after all?"

"I ran into Gheyahsayl, actually… Or more like, he ran into me." The half elf explained as she removed and folded her cloak unsteadily. "Everything is set up for tomorrow now, so we don't need to bother with the audience again." _I saw that little smile of hers just now… _She added to herself in bemusement. _She may be pretty naïve, but she's far from stupid and a very quick study at that…Gods know what was going through her mind while I was gone, but it's apparent that she's figured more than one or two things out… Humph, taking her dear sweet time drying herself off and all that…_

_That's fine, two can play that game._

(L) "The King…?" "So what's the deal with him anyway, it's obvious you two know each other already somehow…" Lina said while tying the straps on her bathrobe.

"It's kind of odd how we met actually…" Katibree began to explain while removing her weapons and boots before hopping on the bed as she waited for the tub to refill. "This entire Kingdom is considered a type of haven where people can come and live this 'lifestyle' without having to worry about what others will think of them." "So royalty and the like will travel here from all over the world just for a few days of freedom from the prying eyes of the public."

"You mean, powerful and influential people who are 'that way', but don't what their peers or whatever to know because their afraid it'll affect their social status." The sorcery genius deducted as she made her way over to the grandiose bed as well.

"That's right." The half elf affirmed.

_That certainly explains where Gheyahsayl gets all of its connections from…_ "Ok, so how do you fit into all of this then Kat?" Lina asked while turning toward the ex-assassin and propping herself up on an elbow.

"Well, when I was younger and still moving up through the ranks of my guild, I was assigned to lesser tasks like scouting and delivering secret messages." Katibree replied. "Sometimes important people would use the services of my guild to send messages to this Kingdom regarding arrangements for a visit or event, and it was always a preference for the person running the message to be… of the Gheyahsayl… persuasion…" She continued to explain.

The redhead couldn't help but giggle at this. "So that's how you met him…" She finally replied.

"Yeah, the first time I delivered a message for him he just took a liking to me for some reason, and started requesting me specifically to deliver things for him whenever I was available to do it." The half elf said as she rolled off of the bed and removed her vest revealing the chest wraps underneath it. "He even started charting my progress as I moved up through the ranks and began to 'summons' me here to throw parties for me whenever I got promoted…" She continued with a roll of her lavender colored eyes as she began to unbraid her hair while looking in a mirror.

"Well that was nice of him to do!" The sorcery genius said while stretching lazily.

"Annoying is more like it." Katibree finally replied nonchalantly as she removed her pants revealing what had to be the skimpiest pair of black panties that Lina had ever seen. "That little rump-ranger has never been anything but trouble for me from the day we first met." She added with a sigh as she headed over to the huge bathtub in the tiled area, loosening her chest wraps as she went.

The redhead indeed had some type of reply in mind, but it eluded her as the older girl's chest wraps fell to the ground and the aforementioned black thongs followed suit. _Uh… heh, heh… uhm, ya know… I was… actually kinda expecting her to leave the rest of that on until after she got in like she normally does when she has to bathe around me… Jeez…and I'd just managed to calm down some too…_

The half elf took the younger girl's abrupt silence as an indication that her counter-tease had worked and that an impending and sudden change in topic was eminent… and she'd be right.

"So… Kat?" Lina began while staring up at the ceiling and fidgeting shyly.

"Yes, Lina?" Katibree replied as she lowered herself into the steaming water with a content sigh.

"Well, uh… I mean, what… what type of girls are you into…?" The sorceress finally managed to get out while blushing profusely.

"What type…?" "Well, I don't have a **specific** type that I like really." The half elf replied before dunking her head underwater to wet her mostly platinum colored mane.

"Oh come on, there at least have to be some things that you like a little better than others…" The sorcery genius persisted while scooting back on the bed and placing her hands behind her neck. "I mean, do you like tall ones or short ones better, brunettes or blondes…?" "_Girls with… big breasts or little ones_…?" She added in barely a whisper.

The ex-assassin couldn't help but laugh at this. "It all depends on the girl; all those things you mentioned can be good traits in my book, Lina."

_**Damn**__, now I wish I'd said that last part __**louder! **_The redhead griped to herself dejectedly._ I'm not even sure if she heard it…I mean, she said they were nice before… but she was __**really**__ hammered and there's no guarantee that she even remembers saying it…Or even really meant it... Well I'm kinda of scared of what she's going to say, but I'll be damned if I'm going to go the rest of my life without ever knowing. Here goes…_She finally decided while taking a deep breath to steel herself for the worse.

"Hey Katibree… there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a long time now…" Lina began tentatively.

"Hum, and what's that?" Katibree asked with interest as she lathered a leg. _What'd she get all serious about all of the sudden…?_

"Ah, well… do you remember that day when you got shot and we had to get you to the nearest town to get the wound treated…?" The redhead asked quietly.

"How could I forget?" The half elf answered with a smirk. "It's not everyday that you get to watch your own boobs help with surgery prep."

"Yeah, I guess not…!" Lina laughed before trailing off. "But… speaking of that, do you… remember what we were talking about later on that night?" She added tentatively.

"Some of it… that concoction the medicine lady gave me to drink was pretty strong, so the night was kind of a blur after it kicked in." The mostly platinum haired warrior mused. "Why do you ask?"

"Uhm, well there was something you said that I wanted to ask you about…" The redhead said embarrassedly.

"Something I said…?" The half elf asked while raising a mostly platinum eyebrow inquisitively.

"Yeah, I know it's going to sound kind of silly but…" "I just wanted to know if you meant it…" Lina tried again before trailing off once more, unable to bring herself to continue.

"Oh this again, there's nothing wrong with the size of your chest Lina." Katibree replied matter of factly while rinsing herself off. "The only reason that hearsay about them being small even started was because you were like 12 years old and traveling with a chick with double D's at the time." She said while getting out of the tub and beginning to towel herself off. "It's only natural that people would assume that you were older than you actually were because of your magical prowess."

"Y-you really think so…?" The redhead asked while averting her ruby colored eyes in embarrassment once more. "I mean, you're just not saying that to be nice?" _I really want to believe her, but how can so many other people be wrong…? I've heard it for so long… _"I mean, I suppose that does make sense…" "But they really haven't grown much since those days either."

"Look if you're really so worried about it, then start trouncing around your side of the barrier in your new merc outfit for a bit…" "I'm sure that people would start changing their tunes pretty quickly…" The half elf joked as she rummaged around in their travel pack for a brush.

"Yeah, I'm sure that'd turn a couple of heads huh?" The sorceress giggled.

"Might even get a couple of proposals out of it." Katibree replied with a wink before sitting down on the bed to begin brushing her hair.

At this Lina's giggles erupted into all out laughter. "Yeah, that'll be the day!" _She always did know how to cheer me up… _"Hey can I do it?" She suddenly asked.

"Do what?" The ex-assassin asked.

The redhead merely rolled her ruby colored eyes at this. "Just gimmie the brush and turn around all ready?" She said with a you-know-what-I-mean look on her face.

The half elf just smiled and handed her the brush. "So, how long have you been itching to do this?" She asked wryly while turning around on the bed.

"I don't know, for a while now I guess." Lina replied while folding her legs underneath herself before scooting closer to the larger girl. _Probably since that day we fell asleep on the grass together… _She added to herself with a soft expression on her face as her thoughts brought her back to that day. "I mean, your hair is really pretty and… well, you never really do anything with it other than braid it one way." She explained as she began to run the brush down the length of the mostly platinum colored mane.

"I didn't realize that I was neglecting it so." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied sarcastically.

"You talk too much, you know that..?" The redhead said quietly. "Just sit back and relax for once already."

"Jeez, you're so demanding sometimes… Alright, alright…" Katibree said with a sigh as she leaned back slightly. _I've never had anyone do this for me before, but I do have to admit that it feels __**really**__ good. _She thought to herself while closing her eyes to enjoy the sensation of the smaller girl brushing and occasionally running her fingers through her hair before freezing at the sudden feel of Lina's warm breath on the base of her neck followed by the sensation of her lips lightly brushing against it.

(K) _Ok…wasn't quite expecting that… _The half elf thought to herself flusteredly as the sorceress behind her continued the exploration of her neck with her soft lips, beginning to vary and deepen the kisses with the passion that was growing with in her. This attention elicited a throaty moan from Katibree who found herself tilting her head to expose her neck further and give the younger girl easier access while reaching up to cup the back of the redhead's own neck with a hand. _Gods, I've wanted this so bad… but I've got to stop this before it goes any further… _The half elf thought to herself conflictedly as Lina leaned further forward and began to slowly kiss and suck on the side of her neck.

"Wait, wait Red…" Katibree breathed while pulling away from the sorceress reluctantly.

"I-I'm sorry… I just …" The redhead began to stammer embarrassedly.

"Don't be, you haven't done anything wrong…" The ex-assassin laughed before leaning further back and sliding her body forward before lowering herself and placing her head in the younger girl's lap to look up at her. _Did everything right actually… _She added to herself in bemusement. "I just… I just want to be sure that you know what you're doing."

"Well, no… not really… I've never done anything like this before." The sorcery genius replied nervously.

"I know that much, Red..." The half elf replied with a warm smile. "What I meant was… I mean, you do understand that if we keep doing what we were just doing, it's only going to escalate from there…?"

"Yeah, I was starting to figure as much…" Lina said while blushing slightly.

"So you know this is going to change everything, if anything happens tonight?" Katibree reiterated.

Lina simply nodded in response.

"And you're really sure you want to - -"

"I don't think I've ever been as sure about anything else in my life, Kat." The redhead replied while sliding the mostly platinum haired warrior's head off of her lap before laying on her stomach and propping herself up with her arms so that her face was just above the larger girl's.

The half elf closed her lavender eyes and took a moment to relish the feel of Lina's crimson mane streaming down the side of her face with a sigh before gaining the courage to speak once more. "If that's the case… then there's a couple of things that you should know, but I'm not sure how too - -"

"Then don't..." Lina said huskily before leaning the rest of the way down and interrupting any further protests with an inverted kiss on the lips. "I already told you… that you talk… too much…." She said in between steadily lengthening kisses before finally allowing the last one to linger on the ex-assassin's lips. The larger girl returned the kisses first tentatively and then more urgently as her growing passion finally completely overrode her reservations. The two stayed that way for a long moment just losing themselves in the varied sensations of the long awaited kiss as their lips quested and explored one another.

Suddenly Lina broke away shyly. "Eh heh, umm…" She began.

"Hum?"

"I totally just slipped you the tongue…" The redhead finished with a nervous giggle.

"You totally did… you sure you haven't done this kinda stuff before…?" The half elf teased while reaching up and brushing a lock of crimson hair behind the younger girl's ear before tracing a hand down the side of her face.

"Positive." (1) The sorceress said while turning her face into the half elf's hand with a giggle and nuzzling it slightly. "But, I **am** a quick learner… and I seem to remember you liking this before…" She added naughtily as she leaned down once again and kissed Katibree on the lips before slowly making her way back down to her neck with a trail of kisses, causing an approving noise to escape from the older girl's throat as she reached up to embrace the smaller girl's head, entangling her fingers in her crimson colored mane.

As Lina lavished the half elf's neck with yet more attention, she moved a hand to one of the larger girls ears and traced a finger from the bottom of the earlobe, around the outer ridge of it, and finally up to the hyper sensitive pointed tip before giving it a playful little flick that tugged a surprised gasp of pleasure from the larger girl.

(K) "I see you finally figured out the deal with my ears…" Katibree chuckled.

"Mumm hum…" The redhead murmured into the hollow of the half elf's neck before continuing her leisurely trail of kisses even further down the ex-assassin's body until she came to the point where the loosely tied silk robe's neckline began it's concealment of the treasures underneath it.

The sorceress so badly wanted to touch what was underneath, but her nerve was beginning to waver and she merely hovered just above the thin material of the ex-assassin's barely covered breasts flusteredly, unsure of what to do next.

The mostly platinum haired warrior took this as her cue and reached for one of the redhead's now slightly trembling hands and placed it on her chest with an amused but gentle expression on her face. "It's alright."

Lina drew in a deep shaky breath at the feel of the firm but soft mound through the silky material of the robe. _I was starting to think that this whole thing was just some wild dream, but this is definitely the real thing …_She thought to herself as the real gravity of the situation began to sink in. _I have no idea what I'm doing, but there's no way I'm chickening out, I'd hate myself in the morning… or probably even sooner than that as turned on as I am right now…_After a moment or so more of struggling with herself, she glanced down at the half elf shyly. "…No holds barred tonight at all then…?"

"That means I get to play too then right?" Katibree asked coyly.

Lina balked at this. "…You weren't playing before?"

"Not by a long shot." The ex-assassin laughed quietly.

The sorcery genius's ears began to redden at the implications of what this might meant. "A-alright… let's see what you've got then."

"You sure…?"

"I…I trust you Kat, I'm not worried."

The half elf smiled at this before bringing the redhead in for another kiss while reaching back and sliding a hand along her side with one hand and caressing the back of her neck with the other as their tongues quested for one another with increasing urgency. She then slid the hand on the younger girl's side underneath her and cupped a firm breast, first rubbing it and then beginning to knead it gently causing the smaller girl's breath to catch in her throat as the nipple began to firm and the thrill of sensations coursing through her body intensified.

Katibree broke off the kiss with a playful bite to Lina's lower lip before turning her attentions to the younger girl's neck while her free hand released the strap on the redhead's bathrobe with a quick tug and the other slipped under the now open robe to get better acquainted with the cream colored skin underneath.

Lina, who'd practically been incapacitated from the volley of new sensations up until this point, was snapped out of her lusty haze by the feel of skin on skin contact, (well at least to the point of regaining coherent conscious thought anyway) and she slowly pulled away and sat upright. "Hold up a sec…" She said while letting the now open bathrobe slip slowly down to the point where her bare shoulders where visible, before letting it drop down completely to give the half elf a full frontal view of her lithe torso while averting her ruby colored eyes somewhat self-consciously.

Katibree, who was still lying on her back and looking up at the sorceress, merely smiled at this sight. "Yep, just as stunning as ever, even from this angle..." She said wryly.

"Heh, just comemere…" Lina said while stifling a laugh.

"If you insist…" The half elf sighed in mock exasperation as she rolled over and got up.

"Are redheads… always this demanding?" She teased as she began kissing the younger girl's breasts while guiding her backwards on the bed and removing her own bathrobe as she went.

"Ida know... You tell m - -" Was all sorceress managed before the rest of her reply turned into a lavish moan at the feel of the ex-assassin's lips closing around her rose colored nipple which began hardening nearly immediately. "Ohh..!" She gasped as the larger girl first circled the nipple with her tongue, before gently grazing the sides of it with her teeth. Any attempts at trying to retain at least some of her composure forgotten, the redhead simply fell the rest of the way back onto the plush bed while embracing the half elf and burying her face in her mostly platinum colored mane. The older girl then used her other hand to tease the twin nipple, massaging it between her fore and middle fingers gently before pinching and rolling it between her thumb and forefinger eliciting a small squeal from the redhead.

After a moment more of enduring the ex-assassin's assorted breast-play, Lina who was already breathing fairly heavily, finally worked up the will to speak coherently once more. "Kat… I don't think I'm going to be able to…!" Was all she managed before stifling a moan pleasure as a particularly forceful contraction within her blindsided her with a chain reaction of maddening sensations centered in her womanhood. _L-sama, I feel like I'm about to explode…_The sorceress thought to herself headily while staving off the urge to reach for her aching nether regions once more.

Katibree looked up at the redhead with a knowing smirk. "Alight." She simply replied before beginning to slowly kiss her way down to the sorceress stomach and still even further, finally stopping at the top of a very familiar tuff of 'carrot' colored hair and resting her chin there to look up at the younger girl with a cat-with-the cream expression on her face while wriggling her eyebrows, her luminous lavender colored eyes twinkling playfully.

Lina threw her head back and laughed at this before finally locking eyes with the ex-assassin once more with a lazy smirk playing across her lips. "Would ya stop asking permission already…? She finally replied quietly to the unvoiced question.

With that, the half elf slid her chin down until it just barely grazed the top of the smaller girl's mound causing her hips to buck slightly before brushing her lips against first one inner thigh and then the other eliciting an anticipatory gasp from the redhead and then leisurely ran her tongue along the outer swollen petals of the younger girl's love.

"Gods that feels good, Kat…" Lina breathed before gasping and arching her back reflexively as the larger girl licked the center of her engorged love from bottom to top and then began to trace rapid circles around her most sensitive spot with her deft tongue as the sorceresses' breaths began to come in sporadic and ragged gasps.

"K-Kat… wait a second…!" The redhead suddenly breathed while grabbing a handful of the older girl's mostly platinum colored mane and pulling her back up to eye level while breathing heavily.

"Something wrong…?" The half elf asked.

"N…no I just - - Since when did you become such a messy eater Kat…?" The sorceress couldn't help but tease after getting a better look at the larger girl's face.

"You yanked me up here just to ask me that…?" Katibree asked wryly.

"No actually… I just…well it's just that, I'm not sure what's about to happen… But, I want you up here when it does…" Lina tried to explain.

"Well that's fine but… I'm not exactly a guy Lina…"

"I know that… but I'm sure you'll figure something out." Lina replied while pulling the half elf closer.

The ex-assassin wordlessly shifted her leg and placed a thigh in between the redhead's legs before pressing it firmly against her slick mound. "How's that…?"

"!...That works…!" The sorcery genius replied with a gasp.

"You wanna take it from here then…?"

"…Sure." The sorceress breathed before raising her hips and rubbing herself against the larger girl's thigh experimentally and shuddering involuntarily at the sensation the action produced. She then positioned one of her own legs between the half elf's own thighs and began to slowly grind herself against the other girl rhythmically. As the passion within the sorcery genius rose to new heights, she tightened her thighs around the larger girl's thighs and began to pump her hips more quickly while burying her face into the ex-assassin's neck and digging her nails into her back as her breathing began to come in ragged gasps once more.

Katibree gasped and opened her eyes at the feel of the redhead's nails digging into her back only to notice a yellowish glow emanating from around… "Lina?"

The half elf pulled away from the sorceress slightly in amazement as the redhead's ruby colored eyes began to roll into the back of her head and her body went rigid as she cried out and her world went white. Suddenly the entire room was bathed in a blinding flash of golden light. The flash of light left an after effect of countless glowing particles circling in the air which then came together before converging on Katibree and sending her over the edge as well.

All the air was forced out of the mostly platinum haired warrior's lungs and all she could do was gasp soundlessly as she assaulted with the most intense pre-climax of her life. The feeling stayed that way for what seemed to the half elf like forever and she thought she would go mad from the sheer intensity of it. Just as she began to feel her to feel her sanity slipping, there was a loud boom similar to the sound of air rushing in to fill a suddenly empty space in reality followed by a shock wave, and suddenly the floodgates released, the unknown force that was holding her back finally allowing the half elf to finish her orgasm. She climaxed violently with a strangled whimper before simply passing out on top of the already unconscious redhead, leaving nothing but the labored but slowing breathing of the two exhausted girls as the only sounds left in the stillness of the room.

Authors notes:

(1.) Lina's first kiss actually took place at the end of Slayers NEXT, but as far as I know she still doesn't remember it, so I choose not to incorporate that into my Fic. (sorry cannon lovers! ;)


	43. Chapter 43

Lina awoke the next morning, opening her ruby colored eyes groggily and blinking them a few times in an attempt to clear her vision before gradually becoming aware of the weight of a certain half elf's head nestled on her still very bare chest. …_I-I can't believe all of that actually happened last night…_She thought to herself while staring up at the ceiling in bemusement as the past nights events came back to her in a flood of images and filling her with a whirlwind of emotions. _It was all so- - I mean, I never imagined that sex would be anything like that… the way that she touched me, everything felt so…_The sorceress trailed of her thoughts to steal a quick glance down at the still sleeping ex-assassin shyly._ …__**Right. **_She finally finished with a blush as her recollections of the past nights events triggered a now all too familiar stirring in her loins once again.

_And then there was that amazingly intense feeling at the end, it just kept going and going and just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, it stopped and then…I'm pretty sure I passed out after that…but, what was that…? And on top of that, how could one person cause another person to feel something like that? _The redhead continued to herself flusteredly while looking down at the sleeping half elf once again. _Kat's still asleep…I wonder if the same thing happened to her - - _"And… what the **hell** happened to the **room**..?" She suddenly blurted audibly while finally noticing the lengthy, zigzagging cracks in the plaster lining the lengths of every wall in the room they where in.

Katibree stirred at the sorceress's out burst with a small groan before nuzzling her face further into her impromptu 'pillows'. "What was that?" She murmured before looking up at the smaller girl sleepily.

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you…" "Good morning though…" Lina said while averting her ruby colored eyes in slight embarrassment at the situation.

"Morning lover girl." The ex-assassin replied with a teasingly suggestive tone to her voice causing the redhead to blush vividly. "Now what was this about a room…?" She added afterwards.

"…Just look at it, it's totally thrashed… w-what the hell happened last-night, I mean…we didn't do this… did we?" The sorceress asked while surveying the damage once more. "The pictures and shelves are off the walls and everything…"

"I didn't think that I was imagining that last-night…" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied as she turned her head to look at the state of the abused room herself. "Wow, what a mess…"

"Imagining what?" Lina asked unsurely.

"The glowing deal and then the shockwave afterwards." Katibree said while rolling off of the redhead and sitting up before stretching with a leisurely catlike yawn.

"Oh, that deal…" The redhead replied absently while watching the larger girl's chest as she stretched - - "Wait a second, **what **glowing and shockwave deal??" She blurted after shaking off her impromptu 'blue haze' moment.

"Right before you came, you started glowing yellow… well I guess it was closer to a goldish color…" The half elf explained while stifling a yawn. "You don't remember any of it?"

"Not a thing, I was kinda preoccupied at the time - - wait a sec… 'Came'…?"

"Yeah, the big happy feeling at the end." Katibree replied with a laugh. "Coming, orgasaming, climaxing, getting off… it's all different names for the same thing." She continued while getting up to wash her face.

"And that happens every time?" Lina asked in amazement.

"Well, I've never experienced anything even remotely close to the mind-blowing one that I had last night before, but if it's done right then yes, it can happen every time… The only thing that I'm not sure of is whether it would be to the same extent…" _If it __**is**__ going to be like that every time, I'm not sure that I'd be able to handle it… _She added to herself in bemusement.

"Huh, I can have as many as I want…?" "That's good to know…" The redhead mused to herself approvingly.

The half elf merely stopped washing her face and turned to raise a mostly platinum colored eyebrow in amusement at the redhead with this statement.

"Uhm, heh eh… I totally said that out loud didn't I…?" She asked while flushing slightly.

"Totally."

_Whoops… _Lina thought to herself sheepishly before clearing her throat. "Anyway, we're getting off track here." She continued in her best no nonsense voice. "You said I started glowing right before I 'got off' - - Gods that sounded **dirty**…" The sorcery genius interrupted with a giggle. "Anyway, what happened after that?" She finished while placing her arms behind her head and looking up at the ceiling once more. _I can't believe that we're having this conversation as naked as the day we were born, I mean… sure it's distracting sometimes- -Ok allot of the time, but at the same time it feels like the most natural thing in the world, but is it really…? I mean, are two girls really supposed to do this…? At a time like this I know that Amelia would strike some cheesy justice pose and tell me, "Miss Lina, just follow your heart!" but how am I supposed to tell - -_

"Lina…?" Katibree said, effectively snapping the redhead out of her thoughts. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

"Ah………erm, not a word!" The sorcery genius finally said with a laugh while sitting up on the bed and rubbing the back of her neck.

The mostly platinum haired warrior could only sweat-drop at this before going about the task of gathering bathing supplies. "Anyway, whatever happened last evening was certainly out of the norm… well at least for a non-sorceress."

Lina mulled this over in her head some before speaking once more. "Well my Mom's a sorceress, I mean… she isn't practicing anymore, but she's still capable of using magic…" "I'd think I would've noticed my parent's bedroom just 'miraculously' getting wrecked every so often as a kid even if I didn't know why it was happening…"

"Maybe it's some weird girl on girl sorceress deal then…?" Katibree offered while climbing into the grandiose bathtub and lowering herself into the steaming water.

"I doubt that…" "I mean, shrine maiden training temples are girls only, and they have to stay in those things training for **years** sometimes…" "I'm sure at least **someone** has decided to get it on in there at one time or another, but I've still never heard of any incident happening at any temple that fits what you just described." The redhead replied while rolling off the bed and heading toward the bath.

"Nice try, Red." The half elf chuckled.

"What…?"

"You're **so** not getting in here with me."

"Hawh - - What, we can 'get it on' now, but I still can't bathe with you?" Lina balked.

"Look Lina, your mind has been in the gutter from the moment you woke up this morning, I can smell that as clear as day, and if you get in here with me, we aren't going to get anything accomplished that we need to do today." Katibree replied matter of factly while reaching for a luffa-pad.

"Awww come on, Kat… I'll be good, I pwromise…" The redhead purred cutely.

"Absolutely not…!" The mostly platinum haired warrior said with a good-natured laugh. "Get in after I'm done… Don't you have a communication spell ritual you have to prepare for anyway?" She added while giving the pouting redhead a coy wink.

"You suck."

"Only when asked nicely."

"….!" "Who's mind's in the gutter now?!" The sorceress shot back.

"Just start getting the stuff for the ritual together already!" Katibree said with a giggle.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever." Lina huffed while heading over to their travel pack.

Later on that day…

(?) "Ok young lady, all we need to do now is hook you up to these transmitters running to the power cells of the device." A tall elderly researcher explained while hooking numerous strange gadgets to Lina's hands and then placing a larger one on her head as Katibree and the King looked on.

(L) "No problem." The sorceress replied. "But how does this thing work exactly…?" "Can it store energy, or does it need a constant power source in order to keep running?" She added while giving the sizeable mechanical device a once-over. _Depending on how complicated of a process powering this thing up may be, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to keep it running __**and**__ cast the communication spell at the same time._

(ER) "In theory, the contraption begins to store excess energy on it's own once it's up to it's proper working capacity." The researcher explained. "It only needs a massive boost of energy for it's initial start up from what I understand, and then a considerable amount **less** to start up as well as charge and run it after that." He continued.

(L) "Well if that's the case, just tell me what I need to do then." Lina replied confidently.

(ER) "…Very well, all you need to do is begin to build and channel your magical energy as if you were about to cast a spell without actually casting it, do you know how to do that yet young lady…?" The elderly man asked in a tone that was reserved for an inexperienced mage that needed to be coddled.

The sorcery genius rolled her ruby colored eyes and shot Katibree a 'this-guy-can't-be-for-real' look as King Gheyahsayl grimaced in mortification before she turned her attention back to the elderly man with an annoyed look. "Just tell me how much." She finally said after taking a deep breath to keep her temper in check.

"Excuse me…?" The researcher asked in surprise.

"Just tell me how much power I'm at least **approximately** supposed to channel into this thing." Lina reiterated impatiently.

"Well all of it, any other mage that we've had attempt this has only gotten the meter up to a little less than ¼ of the starting energy requirement just cutting loose…" The old man explained. "There was no reason for them to try and limit their magical output…"

(L) The sorceress merely grinned at this. "So just cut loose huh…?" "If you say so - -!"

(K) "Hold it Lina." Katibree interrupted. "The mages that you had attempt this before, were any of them from inside of the old magical barrier?" She asked the researcher pointedly.

(ER) "Well, we've managed to acquire a few practicing sorcerers to come help us test it from there… yes." The researcher replied haughtily.

(K) The ex-assassin turned to Lina at this "And how much would you say that it takes you to cast… say a Dragon Slave, Red?" She asked.

(L) "I don't know… depending on the day, I'd say 4 or 5 percent." The redhead mused. "Sometimes less than that though."

(ER) _T-the Dragon Slave…?! I thought that spell was only a legend! This little girl is capable of unleashing something of that magnitude?? __**Impossible**__… _The elderly researcher thought to himself in disbelief.

(K) "Alright, well why don't we go with 20 percent for now." The mostly platinum haired warrior said. "I'll… be outside." She added while flushing slightly and heading for the door as the King looked after her curiously.

(L) "20 percent it is." Lina said while closing her eyes and concentrating to begin channeling her magical energy into the machine.

Both King Gheyahsayl and the researcher's eyes widened in shock as the energy meter for the device jumped to more than 50 percent as a multicolored vortex of magical energy began to swirl about the room.

(ER) "T-the device is a little past ½ of starting capacity!" The man shouted to the half elf standing outside the door. _What __**is**__ she…??_

"Tell her to try 38 percent then." Katibree called back disinterestedly.

(L) "I heard her." Lina said while kicking her energy output up another notch effortlessly.

(KG) "99 percent Do'Urden." The King called back while bracing himself against the torrent of magical energy enveloping the room.

(K) _At this rate 39 percent may actually overdo it…and on top of that, the old man said that the machine begins to automatically store a charge with any excess energy once it powers up. _The ex-assassin mused to herself. _He also said it takes considerably less to start it up and charge it once it's started up for the first time so…_ "Have her kick it up half a notch to 38 ½ until the device starts up, and then power down right away."

(KG) The King, who was currently shielding his face from the flying research papers and other miscellaneous things swirling about the room called out to Lina. "She says half a notch more and then power down, little sister!"

"That's no fun." The redhead groaned before giving the device just a bit more and powering down once it started up with a loud roar.

(ER) "I-incredible!" The elderly man stammered while looking at the charge gage in slack jawed amazement. "There's already enough charge for the device to run for months….! I-if she hadn't powered down when she did…!"

(L) "Heh, heh, victory!"Lina exclaimed while attempting to flash a victory sign but being unable to do it properly due to being hindered by the wires and various gadgets that were attached to her. "Can I take this junk off of me now?" She added in annoyance.

(ER) "C-certainly…" The man managed before heading over to help the redhead remove the contraptions unsteadily.

Just then, Katibree re-entered the room carrying a bagful of spell components that Lina had gathered for the communication spell ritual and handed it to the younger girl with a smirk. "Piece of cake?" She asked wryly.

"Piece of cake!" Lina affirmed with a grin. "Did ya wanna stay and watch the ritual, Kat?" She added while rummaging through the small bag.

"I'm going to have to pass on that, Red." "I owe the King a little chat for this favor so I mine as well get it out of the way now." The ex-assassin replied with a sigh.

"A 'chat'?" The sorcery genius asked while looking up from the component bag inquisitively.

"Yeah, he won't take a payment like money or anything else material wise from me in exchange for his help, he wants information as compensation instead…" "He's always been that way." The half elf explained.

"Well, that doesn't seem so bad."

"Humph, you wouldn't be so sure if you knew the type of information he normally wants." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied as she turned to leave with a chuckling King Gheyahsayl.

The sorceress merely stared after them at this statement before finally turning her attention to setting up the ritual components with a shrug. "Set it for the Overworld and fire it up when you're ready pops!" She called to the elderly researcher.

The older man sputtered indignantly at this. "My name is not **pops**, my name is Professor **Cevilia**!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever **grandpa**, just **fire** it up already!" Lina replied with a giggle.

"Bah, of all the insolent - -" The professor complained as he began to manipulate various gages and dials on the machine.

Outside, Katibree and King Gheyahsayl walked side by side down the various multicolored hallways of the elaborate castle as they talked.

(KG) "So… I heard that the room that was provided for you and the little firepot to stay in last night wasn't in the best condition when the personel entered it to tidy up…" Ruben began coyly. "I never took you for much of the partying type… but, I got a report that you two made quite the ruckus last evening."

"It wasn't like that." The half elf said with a roll of her lavender eyes.

"So it wasn't a party then…?" "I mean, I would make a tasteless joke about her liking it rough, but yesterday you claimed that the two of you weren't intimately involved…"

The ex-assassin simply continued to walk wordlessly at this.

"Or… has that changed since last night?" The King asked while studying the half elf's profile carefully with a knowing smile beginning to form on his face. "Oh my Mistress Do'Urden, I do believe you're **blushing**!" He finally exclaimed exuberantly.

The mostly platinum haired warrior continued to walk wordlessly while gritting her teeth at this.

"So now that you've gone and popped the proverbial 'cherry', what are you going to do next…?" The jovial man persisted. "I think a proposal would be **fantastic**, I'd be more than happy to handle all of the wedding arrangements and - -

"_**DON'T**_ be **ridiculous** Gheyahsayl." Katibree finally snapped in irritation before smoothing out her mostly platinum colored mane with a sigh. "Look, I'm not sure what I'm going to do; I shouldn't have let it happen in the first place."

"Are you saying that for your sake or hers?" Ruben asked insightfully.

"….I'm….I'm honestly not sure anymore." The half elf replied while looking up at the sky with her luminous lavender eyes.

"You haven't told her about your lineage yet, have you…?" The King asked solemnly.

"Don't talk as if you could possibly understand, Ruben." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied quietly. "I thought all of it was just bullshit before, that my appearance was just some stupid coincidence that certain people made a big deal about on this side of the barrier because of a ridiculous legend from some children's story book…" "But now…"

"Now, after being exposed to all of the things that you initially thought were just myths and legends during your stay in the inner barrier, one example being the legend Lina Inverse herself… You're not so sure anymore." Gheyahsayl finished for her.

"Yeah, that's some of it…" Katibree replied. _But I've been changing too, gaining all of these strange abilities that I never had before and strengthening the abilities I already had that were weak and unreliable at best before this journey started… And still what's even more disturbing - -_

(?) "Finally found you!" "You two done with your little 'chat' yet?" Lina called from a distance while Ray Winging down to them from an opening leading to a courtyard nearby.

(K) "Hey Red, decided to cast discretion to the wind and take a cruise around the Kingdom eh?" The half elf teased.

(L) "Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard, but I didn't leave the castle grounds at least, it just feels so good finally having a chance to cut loose with my powers again!" The redhead said with a laugh. "I mean, I already have my sorceress's getup on anyway right?"

(KG) "Well I'd imagine it's been pretty taxing for an up and coming Great Sage such as yourself to repress your true nature for any significant length of time, either way it's truly a pleasure to have had a chance to meet you my dear." Ruben said with a royal bow.

"Huh?" The redhead asked before looking at Katibree dubiously. "**'Discretion'** eh Kat…?" She finally added while lowering her eyelids.

(K) "Hey, don't look at me Red!" The ex-assassin said with a chuckle. "He figured it out all on his own!" "Anyway, were you able to get in touch with the Overworlder?"

"Kinda… I know the message reached Sirius because I was able to complete the ritual and incantation without a misfire, but he hasn't responded yet." The sorceress replied. "But the way I see it, after the battle with Darkstar he was able to create his own portal to get back to the Overworld, so I figure he can just do the same to get back here with the Sword of Light when he has the chance to."

(K) "Alright that's all well and good, but how is he supposed to find us once he shows up?" Katibree asked.

"If I know Sirius, he'll show up right on time." "Besides, I've got a back-up plan until he does!" Lina said with a trademark Lina Inverse wink.

"A back-up plan… for Gabriev...?"

"That's right, you should be able to charge up other weapons besides your own correct…?" The sorcery genius asked coyly. "Although your blades are extremely well crafted and made of superior quality materials, I don't sense anything out of the ordinary about them, they're not made of much of anything out of the norm from what I can tell."

"Huh, I never thought about that…" Katibree mused.

"What would ya do without **me**, I'm so great I astound **myself** sometimes - - "**Ouch**, ouch, ow, ow, ow…_**OW**_..!" Lina squealed as the mostly platinum haired warrior placed her in a headlock and began to drag her away.

"Enough with the ego stroking already." The half elf said lightly as she continued to lead the struggling redhead away unceremoniously. "Thanks for the hospitality Gheyahsayl, but it's time we took our leave." She called back.

"Completely understandable, best of fortune in your journeys dear sisters!" The King laughed with a deep bow. "Be sure to visit again soon!" He called after them while waving energetically.

A little later on, the two girls eventually made their way off of the castle grounds and into the brilliantly colored city.

(L) "So, it's obvious that King Gheyahsayl is clued in on allot more than he lets on, huh?" Lina asked while rubbing her neck absently as they walked.

"You don't even know the half of it." Katibree replied distractedly.

The redhead gave a deep sigh before replying back. "Ok, I know that tone of voice so spill it already."

The ex-assassin merely smirked at this. "Fine, but why don't we talk over dinner?"

"Oh you **know** I've got no objections to **that**!" The sorcery genius practically gushed. "I'm **always** up for a good meal!"

"Heh, you don't have to tell me that!" "How about the eatery over there… I've heard they specialize in serving this new dish called 'jambalaya'." The half elf suggested.

"Count me in!" The sorcery genius exclaimed while already running in the direction of the restaurant with the larger girl behind jogging to catch up with her.

(L) "Hey, this place is actually pretty homey." Lina said as they were seated by a pretty brunette waitress.

"Yeah well that's kind of the theme of this Kingdom, to try and make everyone as comfortable and welcome as possible that visits or lives here." Katibree replied.

"That's a pretty cool theme to have…" "More places should definitely incorporate it." The sorceress replied while she looked over the menu.

After a few moments of silence between the two, the redhead had finally had enough. "Howwwn, enough already!!" "Just tell me what you're all down in the dumps about ok, Katibree?" "It **kills** me when you get this way."

The half elf closed her lavender eyes and took a deep breath before finally replying. "It's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a long time… I just… I wasn't - -

(?) "**My, **my, if it isn't my favorite sorcery genius!" A strange man who had chin length purple hair and was dressed in a priest's uniform suddenly exclaimed. "I've been looking for you all over Lina, and here I've **finally** found you!" He continued as he approached the table that the two were sitting at while smiling with his eyes closed and leaning his staff against a nearby wall before inviting himself to sit down at their table. "It's been far **too** long, how have you **been** Lina??"

(L) "X-**Xellos**…!?" Lina sputtered before finally managing to regain her composure. "What are you doing here…?" "Stirring up **some** trouble or another I'll bet…" She added while lowering her eyelids at the mysterious priest suspiciously.

"**Oh** goodness **no,** dear Lina, we are **friends** are we not…?" "I merely came here to **congratulate** you is all!" Xellos replied cheerfully.

C-congratulate me…?" The sorcery genius balked. "**Congratulate **me on **what** exactly **Xellos**…?" The sorceress added crossly.

"On what **else** my old friend, your long awaited transcendence to **womanhood** of course!" The mysterious priest replied wryly.

At this, Lina gaped at the priest suddenly incapable of coherent speech as Katibree sized him up silently while he casually ordered a cup of tea.


	44. Chapter 44

(L) Tran…transcendence to… **womanhood**?" Lina finally managed to ask. _There's no possible __**way**__ that he could know… is there…? _Just… what exactly are you… **talking** about Xellos…? She asked carefully while stifling the urge to glance over at Katibree.

"Come now Lina, there's no need to feign ignorance!" Xellos replied cheerfully. "If anything, I'd say that the little display that you two put on last night was extremely **boast**-**worthy**, everyone with any real connection to the astral plane at all most likely sensed or at least **felt** it happen in one shape or form!"

"E…every…one connected to… the astral plane." The redhead stammered in disbelief.

"Oh my, yes!" The mysterious priest said before taking a sip of his tea that the waitress had just brought to him before continuing. "You see, while I imagine that the disturbance caused **here** by your union was **minimal** at best, the effect that it had on the astral plane was **especially** devastating, even to the point of the positive energy being released and amplified actually temporarily incapacitating some of the lesser Monsters."

The sorceress merely clunked her forehead on the wooden table and began to groan miserably into it at this. "Entire… astral **plane**…!"

(K) "So any Mazoku that cares to do it, can pinpoint our exact location now." The half elf said quietly.

"Well, no…" "The only reason I was able to find Lina is because I'm very familiar with her energy signature and was able to track it back to the general area of the incident you see." Xellos replied around a bite of coffee cake. "However the trail soon went cold and I still had to search for you both manually from there."

(L) "…can't believe… this is happening… to me…!" The sorcery genius continued into the table with that familiar haggard and broken tone she so often used when complaining.

(K) "But it **is** possible." The mostly platinum haired warrior said.

"Huuumm… well, theoretically I suppose." The priest mused. "But the whole commotion on the planes was caused by Lina temporarily merging astral bodies with you and causing some type of reaction that in turn caused a backlash from what I understand…" "So just because of the fact that your energy signature is so **similar** to that of a Mazoku, it would more than likely throw off any Monsters that may have recognized Lina's signature and tried to track it." He added while opening a purple eye slightly.

(K) "….."

(L) …_Katibree has an energy signature similar to that of a Monster's…? _Lina thought to herself while raising her head up from the table slightly and doing her best to try and read the half elf's facial expression.

Xellos merely cackled gleefully at the sudden uncomfortable silence before turning his attention to Lina once more. "And speaking of that Lina, I must say that you've certainly acquired a taste for the exotic!" "Although it's apparent that your friend here is of mixed blood, she is still a descendant of a race of elves that I thought long ago eradicated during The Resurrection War, I'm certain of it!"

"The… Resurrection War that took place over 100 years ago…?" Lina asked carefully.

"One and the same Lina!" The mysterious priest affirmed. "Some time before The War, there was a race of elves known as Synergy elves that were known for their ability to absorb the surrounding magic near them, and over a period of time begin to gain powers and abilities based on the type of magical energy that they were exposed too."

"Now several hundred years before the actual Resurrection War, a Mazoku priestess told of the prophecy of Lord Shabranigdo's reawakening and gave specific instructions to prepare an army for the Dark Lord's return with the aid of these visions." Xellos explained while pouring himself another cup of tea.

"The orders were to raid the Synergy elf villages of their young who had yet to fully develop their innate abilities, and locked them away while exposing them to the purest form of Lord Ruby Eyes' essence that could be found in hopes of turning them to our cause - -"

Katibree pushed back her chair and stood abruptly at this.

"K-Kat…?" Lina asked while beginning to stand as well with a worried expression on her face.

"I'll be fine, go ahead and stay… you need to hear this Lina." The ex-assassin said expressionlessly. "I just don't care to." "I'm going to the pub." She added while walking off as the redhead stared after her conflictedly.

"Oh my… It seems that something I've said has struck a nerve…" The priest said while peering over his cup of tea after the half elf as well. "Did you want to go after her Lina…?"

_That wouldn't do any good right now, she's pretty upset and that means she's going to want to be alone for awhile… and besides she __**did**__ say that I needed to hear this…_The sorcery genius thought to herself while turning around with a heavy sigh to face Xellos once more. "I'm listening." She finally said after sitting back down.

"Very well…" "Now as I was saying before, these young elves were exposed to Lord Ruby Eye's essence in an effort to corrupt them, but much to the Monster Race's disappointment, only a very small percentage of the elves exposed produced the desired results…" "The majority of them seemed to have some innate ability, a gene we believe, that made them completely immune to the treatment." Xellos continued to explain.

"However, the few that did take to the process became extremely powerful, being able to do things such as call upon The Dark Lord's crimson blades at will, they were incredibly cruel and these 'Chosen of Lord Ruby Eyes' where groomed and trained for combat as generals to command The Dark Lord's armies and encouraged to multiply over the centuries for the coming war."

(L) _Crimson Blades… Is that what Kat's been using this whole time…? _"And… they all looked like Katibree does…?" Lina asked.

"Well she is of mixed blood, but the similarities are there yes…" The mysterious priest replied while lounging back in his chair. "The extreme amount of raw essence that the first descendants of 'The Chosen' where exposed to caused their hair to change in color, ranging from stark white to a steelish color, and their skin always ranged between ebony and midnight blue, but the most impressive change was their eyes which where always a glowing ruby color much like The Dark Lord's own eyes."

"This fearsome appearance is what gave people who encountered them the idea to call them Corrupt elves or Dark elves, but the proper name for them is actually Drow elves." "Even after centuries of generations, these traits held true except for a few exceptions…"

"Exceptions?" The sorceress reiterated.

"Yes Lina, here is where things get really interesting…" Xellos said while leaning forward conspiratorially. "Sometimes the recessive trait that the Monster Race had so carefully weeded out would reassert itself in some of the Drow children that were born later although it was exceedingly rare..."

"…The corruption immunity gene." Lina finished for him.

"As perceptive as always Lina!" The priest exclaimed before continuing. "These children had all of the same physical traits as the other Drow except for their eyes for some reason, the eyes that these children possessed always ranged from deep purple to a lavender color…"

_Kat's eyes are lavender…_The redhead thought to herself. "So… these 'Drow' with the recessive gene… they weren't inherently evil then?" She finally asked.

"**My**, 'evil' is **such** a strong **word** Lina!" Xellos said with a laugh.

"Just **answer** the question **Xellos**." The sorcery genius said with a calm but dangerous tone to her voice.

The mysterious priest sobered somewhat at Lina's tone and continued with his story. "Because of the recessive trait repressing the essence from spreading through them, these exceptions where unable to draw upon Ruby Eye's power although it still lay dormant within them." "At the same time these particular Dark elves seemed to naturally make up for that by developing phenomenal speed, reflexes, and unsurpassed combat prowess…"

_Even if it remained dormant, that should still mean that it can be passed on to future generations…_Lina mused to herself. "I understand all of that Xellos, I've witnessed it myself, all I want to know is whether the dormant corruption affected their personalities at all."

"No, in fact after one of these essence immune Drow left the underground city in disgust at his races' 'practices', he eventually took it upon himself to return and begin the eradication of them all." "After that occurrence, orders came down that all babies born with the recessive trait be killed at birth."

(L) "But **wait** a second Xellos; didn't you say that Corrupt elves born with the recessive gene weren't **able** to draw from Shabranigdo's powers…?" The sorceress suddenly asked.

"I believe I did say that, Lina." Xellos said with a strange smirk. "However, your new companion appears to be only **half** Drow, and from your reaction just now it appears that she's capable of accessing the best of both worlds…" "She seems to have the superior speed and combat prowess of a Drow with the ressesive trait, but it seems that at the same time her human half has found a way to tap into Lord Shabranigdo's dormant power… and as far as I know… humans have no such immunity." The mysterious priest finished somewhat evasively.

Lina's ruby colored eyes widened at what the implications of this meant. _So does that mean that the more that she taps into and uses her powers…? I-I guess this is what she's been so worried about, but why has she kept it from me all of this time…? _"Alright Xellos, if you say that these Dark elves were wiped out over a century ago, how can Katibree even be one of their descendants?"

"I suppose it's possible that a few of them could have slipped by without drawing our attention…" The mysterious priest mused. "Either way, elves have been known to live for well over a thousand years, so if one has survived, he or she most likely would still be quite capable of having an offspring between then and now if not more."

_If pure blooded elves can live for over a thousand years…how long does a __**half**__ elf live …?_ The redhead wondered to herself."Ok, I can see that making sense…" "But, what I **don't** see making sense is you suddenly going through all of this trouble to track me down after so long just to 'congratulate' me." "Beastmaster **doesn't** give out vacation days and she **wouldn't** have sent you here just for something **that** trivial, so what's the **real** reason that you're here Xellos?"

The priest sweat-dropped at this observation. "Well, there **is** one other thing…" He began.

"I'm listening."

"Well as you already know, anyone with any significant connection to the astral plane at least **felt** the disturbance that you and your companion caused with your 'union' - -"

"Yeah, yeah Xellos, we've already been over this, would ya just get to the point?" Lina interrupted while blushing and covering her face with a sigh.

"Yes well, while lesser Mazoku may have only felt it, and may or may not have been able to identify it as you; the higher end Monsters such as The Dark Lord's generals and their lessers such as myself also experienced some brief sounds and images from the encounter - -"

"YOU could **SEE** and **HEAR** it _**TOO**_??!" The sorceress exclaimed at the top of her lungs while jumping up from the table and slamming her hands down on it, drawing the attention of the few occupants in the eatery. "This is a … this is absolute _**nightmare**_…Mmmhurphmmphmm…!" She groaned haggardly while beginning to sink down to the floor in despair."

"Why yes Lina, and there's a type of pool that has been going around betting on how exactly you two did the deed!" Xellos explained wryly. "You see, everyone could see that your half Drow friend was on top, and that you two were both thourghly enjoying yourselves…"

"Argh uh haaun, nooo, nooo, no… nahhhmmmphurph…!" Lina continued from the floor of the resturant.

"But since no one was able to catch a glimpse of what was going on beneath the two of you, we've taken to betting on it…" The priest continued while raising a finger cheerfully. "You see, Blue Dolphin seems to think that you were utilizing some type of spell or device that would serve as a phallus for one of you…" "While Beastmaster is certain that you two were somehow using your hands to pleasure yourselves from that position, but we were simply unable to see that from the angle we had of the event…" He continued.

The redhead began to slowly pull herself off of the floor with crocodile tears in her ruby colored eyes and a face as red as her hair at this. "…Isn't **happening** to _**ME**_…!" She hissed to herself.

"However I **myself** am almost certain that it wasn't anything as complicated as that, you see…" The mysterious priest continued to explain cheerfully. "**I** believe that you and your companion were merely using your legs to pleasure one another mutually - -"

Just then Katibree, who was at the pub across the square, looked up as a sudden fiery flash of light reflected off of her glass of brandy and a large explosion shook the surrounding area. "Shouldn't be surprised I suppose…" She sighed while tossing some change on the distracted barkeep's counter and downing the remaining contents of her glass before standing from the bar and weaving her way through the sea of hurriedly exiting and clamoring customers of the establishment.

Soon enough she'd made her way into the square and spied a large growing crowd of people standing around and gawking and murmuring at a large smoking hole that used to be one of the eatery's walls. As she made her way closer, it became more and more apparent that it wasn't so much the missing wall that the spectators were staring at, as it was the spectacle inside that the missing wall had revealed.

The half Drow pushed her way through the crowd and made her way to the still ranting sorceress who was currently stomping on a chard, smoking, and twitching Xellos while waving and gesturing with her arms angrily in the midst of the still partially burning timbers of the eatery.

The mostly platinum haired warrior folded her arms and stepped through the makeshift door while calmly surveying the damage and making a quick estimate of what It'd probably cost to pay to fix the damage a moment before finally speaking. "So… what's this all about?" She asked the still ranting sorcery genius although not really expecting any real type of reply just yet.

"…**Perverts** _**spying**_ on an innocent maiden like that…!" The redhead continued to rant through clenched teeth at the priest that she now had in a camel clutch.

"Well, it's not like we were doing it intentionally Lina…!" Xellos replied while looking back at her with a grimace.

"That's **still** no **excuse** to take **bets** on it _**afterwards, Xellos**_!" The sorceress exclaimed angrily while placing him in a sharpshooter and wrenching back to further emphasize her words as she yanked.

Katibree lifted a mostly platinum colored eyebrow at this. "The Mazoku are making bets on…?" She trailed off, not even needing to finish what she was asking.

Lina stood up flusteredly at this. "Yeah, the bastards got to **watch** and _**hear**_ the whole **thing**!" She replied while lowering her head and clenching her fists.

(X) "Well not the **entire **thing actually… The priest said while lifting his head to look up at her. "We only got to see and hear the events that occured at the exact moment of - -" The rest of what Xellos was about to say was abruptly cut off by the redhead's boot connecting with the back of his head and grinding his face into what was left the wooden floor of the eatery.

"**Shut** **UP**, Xellos…" The sorcery genius said through gritted teeth.

(K) "Huh, they sure got one hell of a show…" The half Drow mused to herself wistfully.

(X) "**Indeed**!" The mysterious priest piped up while straining to lift his head with the weight of the redhead's boot still planted firmly against the back of it. "It was rather uncomfortable for us physically, but it was truly an impressive sight to - -" Was all he managed before Lina reintroduced his face with the floor with another shove of her boot.

"I **said** SHUT _**UP**_!" The redhead exclaimed. "And how can **you** be so **calm** about this whole deal **Katibree**??" "We're probably the talk of the **entire** _**astral**_ _**plane**_ right now!" She added angrily.

(X) "Oh **my** yes, most of us haven't had anything **this** interesting to discuss for **centuries**…" Came Xellos' cheerful but muffled reply from beneath the sorceress's boot.

(K) "Well it's not like there's anything we can do about it now…" The ex-assassin replied while placing her hands behind her head as Lina promptly began stomping on Xellos once more while working on a fresh rant.

(L) "**Sure** there is, I'll _**make**_ them **forget** that they ever saw or heard about **it…**!" The redhead exclaimed haggardly.

(K) "Come on Lina you know that isn't possible, but we **are** drawing an even larger crowd by the moment and we really should get going..." The half Drow said while walking over and placing Lina in a restraining wrestling hold of her own.

"Oh **no**, I'm no where _**near**_ done with him **yet**!" The sorceress exclaimed as Katibree began to drag her away from a thorally pummeled Xellos.

(K) "It was… interesting to finally meet you after hearing all the stories Xellos." The ex-assassin said briskly while exiting out of the impromptu door of the eatery with a still wildly gesturing Lina Inverse under the crook of her arm.

(X) "Likewise, Miss Katibree…" The priest replied while sitting up and rubbing the top of his head with a slight wince." _Interesting, they seem to counter balance and even one another out… _He mused to himself.

(?) "H-hey, what are you going to do about the damages to my restaurant!?" The owner of the establishment shouted as the two made their way through the still gawking crowd of people.

(K) "The nice 'man' in the priest's outfit has graciously offered to pay for all of your expenses good Sir." The half Drow replied casually as she continued to walk with the still struggling sorcery genius.

(X) "H-hey…?" Xellos managed while still sitting on the floor of the ruined eatery before looking up at the towering figure of the glowering restaurant owner now standing over him with a nervous cackle.

(L) "You know Xellos is just going to weasel his way out of paying for the damages for that place, don't you Kat…?" Lina asked after the two of them made their way to the dock to wait for the ship to take them back to the mainland.

"I figured as much, but we weaseled our way out of it as well…" Katibree sighed while leaning back against a large crate next to the smaller girl. "That was really more of an insult to injury thing than anything else." She added with a nonchalant shrug. "Ruben will most likely end up footing the bill anyway."

"You and The King are really close huh?' The redhead asked quietly.

"Not really, he's just really generous when he's being amused. "The half Drow replied. "That little ruckus back there is just a little pocket change out of his nearly bottomless little man-purse, but it'll give him something to gossip about to entertain himself with later on, that'll be more than enough payment for him."

"He's a pretty weird guy…"

"Um hum."

After a minute or so of silence between the two of them, Lina turned to the side and scooted forward until she was able to lay her head on the side of the mostly platinum haired warrior's thigh comfortably, before clasping her hands behind her head and merely staring up at the sky wordlessly.

Katibree looked down at the redhead unsurely a moment before finally breaking the silence. "So… Xellos, he told you… everything right…?"

"Well, I'm sure there's something that he wasn't telling me, but yeah." The sorceress replied while closing her ruby colored eyes.

"And… and you still don't **care**…?" The half Drow balked.

"Why should I, Kat…?" "You're **still** you, I don't care about what some dusty old stories about your heritage say." The sorcery genius replied never bothering to open her eyes. "I just wish that you'd trusted me enough to tell me yourself instead of having to hear it from Xellos."

"I tried to, really I did Red… it's just that…" Katibree began before trailing off and averting her lavender colored gaze from the smaller girl.

"I understand it's hard for you Kat…" Lina said quietly. "And there are probably some things that Xellos told me about that you don't even know yourself, but I'd prefer to talk about all of that a little later if you don't mind..."

"Isn't that last bit supposed to be one of my lines?" The ex-assassin said while looking down wryly. "'Later' implies having the 'patience' to wait for later… since when did you learn any of **that**?" She teased.

"I guess… you're rubbing off on me…" The redhead replied in amusement before drifting off to sleep."

"Humph, I guess so…" The half Drow said quietly while brushing aside a crimson lock of the younger girl's hair. _I think you've been rubbing off on me too. _She added to herself with a warm smile.

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location…

(?) "I've returned with news Lord Beastmaster!" Xellos called cheerfully as he made his way into the room.

(B) "What have you found out Xellos?" A tall blonde woman holding a long thin cigarette holder with a cigarette burning lazily at the end of it asked.

"Well, the girl you're interested in is most certainly a descendant of Lord Ruby Eye's chosen… but I'm not sure if she will be of any use to us Mistress." The mysterious priest began to explain.

"She carries the immunity then?" Beastmaster asked.

"That's the interesting part you see!" Xellos replied. "Her Drow half **does**, but her human half should have no such immunity and so she has the capabilities of both types although they are watered down…" "But even so, for some reason it appears that she has been actively using The Dark Lord's gifts, yet using them seems to be having no affect on her…"

(B) Do not **underestimate** the potency of adding a human element to an equation, Xellos…" Beastmaster said. "We've made that mistake time and time with Lina Inverse." "The very thing that makes humans so dangerous is their unpredictability and the fact that their life spans are so short." "Because of this, they have the tendency to improve their craft in leaps and bounds because they naturally try harder to make up for the limited amount of time that they have to spend in this world."

"Yes, I see your point, even if she is only half Drow, and she'll still live longer than a normal human by several hundred years most likely… her lifespan will still be considerably shorter than a full blooded elf…" The priest mused. "That being the case, the human 'X-factor' may actually give her the chance to increase in power expedentaily, possibly even **exceeding** the power of her ancestors…"

The blonde woman nodded at this before taking another drag of her cigarette.

"However, Lord Beast Master… there is still the fact that Lord Ruby Eye's influence appears to have no affect on her although she has access to his gifts…" Xellos continued. "At this rate, even if your theory about the human X-factor proves to be true… at best, all that we will have at the end of this is another powerful potential enemy."

"The human half of her should have no such immunity as you said before, so there must be something repressing the esscence from taking hold and spreading. Beastmaster deducted. "Something that is keeping The Dark Lord's influence from accumulating and turning her to our cause." "I want you to do some more scouting and try and locate and dispose of this… item, trinket or whatever it may be…"

"Understood, Lord Beast Master…" "And what of… Lina Inverse, it's certain that she'll become involved if she gets wind of any of this." "Should I perhaps attempt to… drive them away from each other somehow…?"

Beastmaster Metallium merely smiled at this. "Leave her be for now, she is serving her purpose, Drow elves **were** created from Synergy elves after all…" "It's anyone's guess as to what type of interesting abilities the half breed will develop being in constant contact with magical energy as powerful as Lina Inverse's, but a power boost like that will be all the more welcome once we convert her to the ways of The Mazoku."

"I see…" Xellos said with a cackle before fading off into the darkness to leave Lord Beastmaster once again to her thoughts and plans.


	45. Chapter 45

(K) "Lina…" "Red…" Katibree called as she shook the sleeping sorceress's shoulder slightly. "Lina wake up, the ships' here - -" Just then, the approaching vessel blared its docking horns with an ear shattering blast.

"AHHHHHHHRRRGGHHH!!!" The startled redhead exclaimed, somehow managing to go from lying on her back in a dead sleep, to leaping 5 ft in the air while flailing her arms comedicly.

"Have a good nap?" The ex-assassin teased as the younger girl stood there clutching her chest and breathing heavily.

"Very…**funny**…!" Lina breathed in reply. "You coulda at least **warned** me ya know."

"What do you think I was trying to do?" The half drow laughed while watching the off ramp of the ship lower.

"Yeah, well maybe you should of tried harder… does the horn really have ta be that **loud**?" The redhead complained.

"Well, the purpose of the horn is to alert the occupants of the Kingdom whenever the ship is docking." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied as she stood and hefted their travel pack over her shoulder with a smile.

"The 'fresh batch of wierdos approaching' alarm huh?" Lina joked as they made their way to the boarding ramp.

"Something like that." Katibree chuckled.

"Alright, well anyway… I guess now is as good of a time as any to tell you what Xellos said." The sorcery genius said has they made their way onto the ship and found a fairly secluded area to sit and talk.

The ex-assassin nodded grimly at this before sitting down and leaning up against a bulkhead.

"But… before that, let me see your blades…" The redhead said with a triumphant smirk.

"What... why?" The half drow asked while unfastening her sheathed blades from her belt.

"I got this idea for a spell awhile ago, and I **just** figured out how to **perfect** it." Lina said happily.

"A spell… just now?" Katibree asked while handing the smaller girl her weapons. "Don't you **ever** stop thinking about magic?" She added with a laugh.

"Every once in a while…" Lina replied wryly while unsheathing the half moon shaped blades and placing them on the deck and removing her white gloves afterwards.

"So what type of spell is it?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked while clasping her hands behind her head.

"Well, I got the idea for it while you were fighting that Hydra out on the open seas…" Lina said as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate while holding her hands over the weapons. "I think I'll call the spell… 'Ethereal Link'. "It should be able to return your blades to you, but I'm not sure of the exact range that the spell will work at."

"Ethereal Link, huh?" "So something that Xellos told you gave you the idea of how to complete the spell?" The ex-assassin mused.

"Yeah… I mean, I already knew the basic mechanics of it already… but I just couldn't figure out a way to **really** make the spell stick until just now." The redhead explained while frowning in concentration as the blades began to glow a blueish color. "The spell the way it was originally would have only worked within a few feet of you, which pretty much defeats the purpose."

"Ok, what did you just come up with then?" The half drow asked with interest.

"All I have to do is imbue the blades with the essence of something that you have a positive connection with… and meld that in with the spell." The sorcery genius replied with a small gasp as she imbued the blades.

(L) "Doing that will definitely increase the potency of the spell… but the over all potential range of the spell is actually based on a combination of the strength of the essence being imbued, and the strength of the users' connection to that essence." Lina continued.

"Heh, that's interesting… alright, how do I use it then?" Katibree asked.

"I think I'll make the trigger phrase… 'Return to Me'. Lina replied as she finished the spell, causing the weapons to glow a golden color briefly before returning to normal. "Go ahead and try it." She added with a grin.

"Uhm… alright…" "Return to me…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior said unsurely. After a long awkward moment she spoke again. "…Nothing happened."

"Jeez Kat you're hopeless… say it with some feeling!" The sorceress giggled.

"What, you expect me to jump up and strike some ridiculous justice pose like you say your friend Princess Amelia does and shout it??" The ex-assassin laughed. "So, not doing that!"

"No, no, nothing like that…... but that'd be absolutely **hilarious**!" The redhead laughed. "You have to make an emotional connection with the essence in the blades and then call them to you." She added with a giggle.

"And just how am I supposed to do that?" Katibree balked.

"I'm really going to have to teach you some more about magic Kat…" Lina sighed. "Most magic is fueled by emotions to a certain extent, so when you put what you're feeling behind the spell, it makes it that much stronger..." She explained before trailing off.

"I'm listening." The ex-assassin said with a nod.

"The spell that I imbued in your weapons relies on strong positive emotions to form the connection or 'link' in order to trigger it." The sorcery genius continued. "The reason I set it up that way is so that enemies won't be able to use it, but that's besides the point…"

"All you have to do is call up a memory that means allot to you to make the connection, and then say the trigger phrase."

"Just a memory huh…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior mused to herself before finally closing her lavender colored eyes and concentrating.

After a short moment the half drow took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Return to Me." She finally said.

The blades originally sitting in front of Lina flickered briefly, before disappearing and returning in the older girls hands. "Now that's impressive."

"Of course it is!" The redhead replied boastfully. "Did you expect anything less when dealing with the beautiful, great, and powerful sorcery genius Lina Inver - - Ow, ow, ow, ow…" She finished after promptly being put in a headlock by Katibree.

"You **are** great Red, a great pain in the **ass**!" Katibree teased as she held on to the struggling redhead. "If your head gets any bigger, you're going to capsize the **ship **so cut it out already!"

The two girls wrestled on the deck of the ship a bit until they'd finally gotten it out of their systems with Lina eventually getting the better of Katibree in the match before finally deciding to get back down to business.

(L) "Ok…" Lina breathed while catching her breath. "Back to the ancestry thing…" "How much about it do you already know?"

"Not much actually…" "I heard a little of what your Mazoku friend told me before I left… but other than that, all I really know is that I'm descended from an evil race of elves that nearly helped destroy the world…" The half drow mused.

(K) "When I was younger, some old woman who saw me on the street started flipping out and screaming things about me being of a cursed people and the apocalypse coming…" She continued.

"I'd already noticed that I was much different from anyone else that I'd ever met, and the old woman kind of freaked me out, so I decided to try and look into what she was ranting about, but all I found were legends and lore, children's stories really…" "At least that's what I thought at the time."

(K) "Either way, all I really found out was that the elves that I resemble were evil creatures that lead Shabranigdo's onslaught in some war that happened 1000 years ago." She finished.

(L) "Well, that's basically correct Kat, but it wasn't 1000 years ago…" Lina replied. "It was a little over 100 years ago, and it was called 'The Resurrection War', when the Dark Lord Shabranigdo was once again reborn."

(K) "This guy sure is resilient."

"Tell me about it, he just keeps coming back." The sorceress said. "Anyway, from what Xellos told me, the dark elf half of you has some type of trait that represses Shabranigdo's influence and keeps his essence from corrupting you."

"If that's the case, then I shouldn't have anything to worry about right?" Katibree asked.

"Well, that's just the thing…" The redhead replied quietly. "You're half human as well, and I think that part of you is allowing you to access Shabranigdo's powers that would otherwise be dormant, and humans have no such immunity to corruption."

"Then just tell me which powers that I need to avoid using." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied simply.

"It's not that easy Kat." The sorceress said with a sigh. "As far as I can tell… the only power that ties directly to Shabranigdo's essence is the ability that you use the most… the Crimson Blades." "I really should have caught it earlier because it's an actual spell, but I didn't because you don't have to cast it… you can just do it at will."

"There's a spell that can be casted that charges up weapons the same way that I do?" The ex-assassin asked.

"Not exactly, that's another thing that threw me off…" Lina explained. "There are spells like 'Astral Vine' that actually imbue physical weapons with magic, but the Crimson Blade spell itself forms a sword of pure energy without the need of a weapon to energize… kind of like a red sword of light without the hilt."

"But I actually charge my blades up with the spell." Katibree finished for her.

"That's right." The redhead replied with a nod.

"Well, what am I supposed to do then…?" "My regular blades barely have an effect on Lesser Demons, let alone full fledged Mazoku." The half drow mused. "If I stopped charging them, I'd basically be in the same boat as Gabriev until he gets back Gorunova."

"Yeah, I know…" The sorceress replied thoughtfully. "Well, you haven't noticed anything strange when you use them have you?"

"What, like evil impulses and dark brooding thoughts…?" The ex-assassin chuckled.

"I'm being serious here Kat." Lina said quietly.

"Aren't you the one always telling **me** to lighten up…?" The larger girl continued to joke.

"Come on, yes or no?" The redhead reiterated while giving the half drow a no nonsense look.

Katibree sobered at this and thought a moment before replying. "No I haven't noticed anything while using the charged blades specifically, but… I do feel… different, like I'm changing somehow." She tried to explain with a sigh "It's really hard to describe it."

"Huh, well there's probably no real way to tell whether that's a good or bad thing yet…" Lina mused. "I mean, what you're feeling could just be your innate racial abilities finally starting to develop enough to kick in after being exposed to so much powerful magic for so long…"

"Right, the 'Synergy Elf' thing…" The ex-assassin said with a roll of her lavender eyes.

"Yeah, it would only make sense that you'd only start feeling changes just now… there's hardly any powerful magic at all where you grew up." The redhead said while leaning back against the bulkhead and clasping her hands behind her neck as well. "It's possible that all you're feeling is your body getting a late start on doing what it was originally designed to do." _At least I hope that's the case. _She added to herself worriedly.

"I suppose so, but this is all still allot to try and swallow." Katibree replied while picking up her blades and walking over to the railing with a far off expression in her eyes.

"Yeah it is…" Lina agreed. "Uhm, Kat… what are you doing?"

The mostly platinum haired warrior gave her a strange smile at this. "What else, I'm testing the strength of the essence imbued in these blades and how strong of a positive link I have to it!"

"Y-you're gonna do what…?" Lina balked. "We haven't even **tested** the approximate range that those return at yet - - **Hawh**!" …_S-she actually fricking __**threw**__ them! _The redhead exclaimed to herself in disbelief while shielding her ruby colored eyes with a hand as she watched the blades whiz toward the now setting sun. "Wooow… that was really **stupid** Kat…" She finally said in bemusement. "You threw them so far that they disappeared on the horizon before they even hit the water…"

"Yeah, that **was **a pretty good throw…" Katibree replied wistfully. "Hell, they may even still be going."

"Well, are you gonna try and call them back or **what**…?" The sorcery genius asked after a long moment.

"In a minute or two, yeah." The half drow said while leaning on the railing with serene look on her face.

"Do you have any idea how far away we're going to be from your weapons in a minute or two…?" The redhead couldn't help but ask.

"Probably a good mile or so… the skipper's hauling some serious ass today for some reason." The ex-assassin replied while closing her eyes to enjoy a nice sea breeze that rustled their hair slightly.

Lina studied the older girl's face to try and make some sense of what was going through her head before finally giving up with a scratch of her crimson mane. "10 minutes for good measure?" She finally asked quietly after a long moment.

Katibree opened her eyes and smiled at this. "Sounds like a plan."

(K) "So think they've made it to the bottom of the ocean yet…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked several minutes later.

"I don't know…the ocean's pretty deep, but maybe." The redhead replied as a school of flying fish glided by. "So why exactly are you doing this again?"

"I told you, it's just a test…" The half drow answered with that same strange smile on her face.

"This one hell of a test Kat… tossing your blades into the ocean is pretty drastic." Lina said. "Just… what **exactly** is it that you're trying to '**test**' here Katibree…?" She added as the answer began to dawn on her.

"You put some of your essence in the blades right, a little piece of your soul?" Katibree asked.

"Yeah… that's right." The younger girl replied quietly.

"And the range that the spell will work at depends on the strength of that essence and how powerful a connection I have with that essence…" The ex-assassin began to explain with that same strange smile on her face.

"It's been over 10 minutes Kat…" The redhead said with a slight blush.

"Moment of truth?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked wryly.

"Moment of truth." The sorcery genius affirmed with a nod.

With that, the older girl placed her hands out in front of her, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Return to Me." She whispered.

A moment later a faint golden glow glimmered in her hands and the half moon shaped blades flickered briefly and then fully materialized.

(K) "They're even still wet!" Katibree laughed quietly. "That's one pretty impressive 'link' huh, Red?" She added sentimentally.

"…Yeah… it really is." Lina replied while averting her ruby colored gaze and scooting closer to the half drow so that their arms were touching shyly.

"You about ready to head down to 'the rack of doom'?" The larger girl asked after a few moments of silence between the two.

"Not yet…" The redhead giggled before leaning her head on the larger girl's shoulder. "The stars are almost out."

"Alright."

"Hey, Kat?"

"Yes, Red?"

"What… what memory did you use when you called your blades back to you?" The sorceress asked with another blush.

"You're already blushing, so I'm not even going to dignify that one with an answer." The ex-assassin chuckled.

Lina couldn't help but laugh at this. "Isn't that… gonna be kind of distracting to reminisce about in the heat of battle Kat…?"

"I'm sure I'll live." Katibree replied with a wry smirk. "Either that, or die a very distracted but happy half elf."

"Uhm… I've been thinking…" Lina began more solemnly after getting the giggles out of her system.

"Well, I know that whole 'deal' **just** happened in Gheyahsayl… and I know you wanted me to take some more time to really think about everything but…" The redhead managed before trailing off shyly.

Katibree turned her head to look down at the younger girl who was still resting her head on her shoulder expectantly at this, the light of the twinkling stars reflecting in her luminous eyes hauntingly.

"…But, I've thought about it allot since then, and I think I'm ready to make it official…" The sorceress continued while looking up at the older girl before standing upright and taking one of her hands with her own. "Katibree… will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" She finally managed with a blush.

"Whew, so formal…!" The ex-assassin said with a grin.

"Cut it with the sarcasm already, we're supposed to be having a moment here…" Lina said while lowering her eyelids.

Katibree laughed at this before tightening her hand around the younger girl's hand gently. "I thought you'd never ask." She finally answered.

"Seal the deal with kiss?" The redhead asked.

"With this many people around?" The ex-assassin asked in amusement. "Aren't we getting bold."

"Yeah well, finding out that the **entire** astral plane watched you get off for the first time kinda has that affect on a girl." Lina deadpanned.

"The union of 'The Enemy of All Who Live' and the 'Ancestral Spawn of Shabranigdo'." Katibree mused "… L-sama, what is your **world** coming **to**?" She exclaimed while shaking her head and gesturing with her hands dramatically.

"Just shut up and gimmie a kiss already…" The sorcery genius said with a giggle.

"Alright, but just remember that privacy curtains in our rack don't actually give much privacy when we head to bed later…" The half drow joked while moving in for a kiss.

"I'll try and remember that" Lina replied wryly before meeting the larger girl halfway.


	46. Chapter 46

_The point between light and darkness shall be drawn to that which is either or, in a struggle against the light and darkness. During the ensuing battle, that which is either or shall embrace the darkness in order to liberate the point between light and darkness from the darkness and be lost, raining destruction down upon all…_

_It is then that first, the point between light and darkness, and then the light must choose._

The Cepheid knight repeated to herself for what seemed like the 100th or so time as she flew on her majestic dragon steed miles above the country side.

"…That… that doesn't make **any **_**sense**_ at _**ALL**_!" She finally exploded with a stress mark on her forehead while making a fist and slamming an armored gauntlet down in frustration much to her dragon mount's displeasure. "Why do people always come to **me **with these tedious cryptic prophesies??" "Urgh…!" She continued while running a gauntlet through her shoulder length purple hair in an attempt to rein in her legendary Inverse family temper.

_Alright, let's try and go over it one more time… The point between light and darkness meant Lina in the last prophesy I had to decipher… but it may not mean that this time if it's not referring to a representative of the human race. _The holy warrior thought with a deep sigh. _But even if it __**is**__ referring to Lina, it __**still**__ doesn't make any sense because it also says that the point between light and darkness will engage in a struggle against the light and darkness, meaning the Monsters __**and**__ the Gods…_

_Sister has definitely had her moments, but I don't see her suddenly just engaging in some battle with the Gods… she crazy, not stupid…_

_And then there's the question of just what 'that which is either or' is… I don't even have a single idea on that one…I mean, either or what? That could mean anything…Good and evil, God and Monster…_

"Hown… this sucks." The Cepheid knight groaned while lowering her forehead and placing it on the grip of the massive dragon saddle dejectedly. "On top of this, I still haven't gotten anymore leads on the ancient relic sighting from The Resurrection War."

_I've even gone to the former outer barrier myself and tried to trace the rumors back to the original source, but the woman that supposedly spotted the relic has been dead for several years now…_The holy warrior continued to brood to herself.

_Apparently the rumor had been going around over there for years before even making it to this side of the former barrier, which means that it's inevitably been changed, corrupted, and exaggerated over time. What I heard about there being some dangerous artifact around may not even be remotely close to what the old woman originally said that started all the rumors to begin with._

_But still…even with as little to go on as that, Lord Cepheid will not let me rest until I've gotten to the bottom of this…_

"Why can't I just live my life?" _I…never asked for any of this…_She finished to herself with another sigh while signaling for her mount to touch down near a secluded little vase and mace shop in the mountains.

(?) "Bwoss, bwoss!" A small fox man with an eye patch over one eye began shouting from the interior of the store.

(?) "What is it Mr. Jillas?" A female voice called from further inside.

(J) "A **huge** blue dragon jus landed in tha **yard**!" Jillias exclaimed while pressing his face against the screened door to the entrance of the shop.

(?) "A blue dragon… what in the world…?" The blonde woman asked while looking up from the vase she was currently working on decorating before setting it down and heading for the door.

(J) "It's true, it's true bwoss, jus look at it, it's huge!" The little fox man continued to exclaim while pointing excitedly.

(?) "Do calm down Mr. Jillas, I don't doubt that you're telling the truth." The woman said while pulling aside a curtain and peering out the window next to the door. "And please go in the back and check on baby Val Gaav for me." She added more quietly as a familiar figure made her way up to the entrance of the store.

"Aye, aye Bwoss!" The fox man exclaimed before hurrying off.

(Lu) "Miss Fillia Ul'Copt, it's good to see that you're well." Luna said with a small smile.

(F) "Miss Luna Inverse, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Fillia said cheerfully. "And I see you've brought Mr. Sea Flare with you as well this time."

The blue dragon growled and nodded in affirmation behind the holy knight at this before lying down and settling himself in the yard.

"Actually… I'm kind of here on business this time." The holy knight replied while rubbing the back of her neck with a gauntlet somewhat sheepishly.

"Fillia closed her eyes and smiled at this. "I never would have guessed it with the ceremonial plate mail and holy blue dragon escort!" She teased. "Anyway, please do come in Miss Luna." She added with a giggle.

"Thanks…" Luna laughed quietly.

"Would you care for some tea Miss Luna, I just went and picked up this new foreign stuff a few days ago and it's absolutely, positively delicious!" Fillia called while heading to the kitchen.

"Yes, please." The Cepheid knight replied while settling herself on a couch.

"Oh, you won't regret it!" The priestess said while making her way over to the couch carrying a large tray of tea and cookies. "I'm actually thinking of switching over to this brand of tea exclusively!" She added while placing the tray on a coffee table nearby.

"I'm sure I won't, Fillia." Luna chuckled while removing her gauntlets and putting them aside.

"So is this visit about Miss Lina?" The blonde girl asked while sipping at her tea.

"Well… I'm honestly not sure anymore, but why do you ask?" The holy warrior inquired.

"Oh, it's just that… I felt something…" Fillia trailed off with a slight blush a moment before continuing. "Well, let's just call it 'odd'." "It was some type of… disturbance I sensed on the astral plane, and it felt like Miss Lina, but at the same time it didn't and…" "Well, let's just say that it certainly wasn't like any other type of astral disturbance that I've ever felt before…" She finally managed.

"You felt that too huh?" Luna asked wryly. "Yes she was definitely up to something, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to what exactly that 'something' was, but that's not actually why I'm here."

"I see, what is it then?" Fillia asked with growing interest.

"All of the priestess of Cepheid have been predicting this same prophesy one after the other and - -"

"Oh no Miss Luna, not another prophesy, I don't think I'll be able to handle it…!" Fillia said while placing the back of her hand on her forehead dramatically.

"I know, and it's a prediction directly from the temples of Cepheid which sticks me right in the thick of it, so how do you think I feel?" The holy warrior replied while leaning back on the couch with a sigh.

(Lu) "You were the only person I could think to come to Fillia, being a former golden dragon priestess of The Fire Dragon King, you've got plenty of experience with deciphering and dealing with prophesies." Luna continued. "I can't talk to many people about it, and the people I've spoken to about it up until now have been completely useless…"

"Do you have it written down?" The golden dragon finally asked quietly.

"Yes, it's right here." The Cepheid Knight replied as she reached into her chest plate and produced a piece of parchment, handing it to Fillia.

The former dragon priestess read the parchment a couple of times in complete silence for a long moment before looking up at Luna.

"Oooooh, how do I **always** manage to get myself dragged **into** things like **this**??" She finally exclaimed with crocodile tears in her eyes. "Hold on, I'll go get some more tea…" She added dejectedly.

"You're a saint, Fillia." Luna said with a chuckle.

"A **sucker** is more like it." The former golden dragon priestess moped on her way to the kitchen.


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: (yes, yes I know I said that the last disclaimer was my last one...) Jeez... do I even need to say it? You know the drill folks, and it happens toward the end of the chapter... you have been warned. Again lol.

**47: All's Fair in Love and War**

(L) "Heya Captain!" Lina called with a cheerful wave as she and Katibree made their way toward the docks that shipped to the former inner barrier.

"Ah, hello there gals, was wonderin' when ye'd be turning up again!" The Skipper exclaimed boisterously from the top of the boarding ramp. "You two are just in time for the old gal's first voyage since she's been upgraded!"

(L) "Is it just me, or is the ship like twice the size that it was before Kat…?" The redhead asked as the two made their way to the on ramp.

"It looks like ol' Greybeard's been busy with his percentage of the bounty money." The half drow replied wryly.

"Yeah, well it better have **only** been his percentage, the ship was big before, but now it's just **huge**!" Lina said as the vessel only seemed to grow larger the closer they got to it.

(C) "So what do ye think of ol' Bertha **now**?" The bearded man asked proudly as he made his way down the ramp to greet the girls.

(L) "Well… the name's certainly even more appropriate now…" The sorceress replied while rubbing the back of her neck with a sweat-drop.

"Aye, and she's not just bigger either, we've reinforced the ol' gal's hulls now so that she's as sturdy as rock inside an out!" The Captain continued to boast.

(L) _"Heh, yeah well let's just hope that she's not so huge that she sinks like one now too…"_ Lina said under her breath to the ex-assassin as they all began to make their way up the ramp.

Katibree could help but laugh quietly at this.

(C) "What was that gal?" The man turned and asked cheerfully.

"Oh… nothing!" Lina giggled while waving her hand in a don't-worry-about-it gesture.

"Ha, me ears must be going in me old age!" The Captain replied as they reach the top of the ramp. "**Men**, guess who's **back**!!" He suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Several sailors turned from what their tasks to look. "Hey guys, It's the Hydra Slayer!" Someone shouted.

At this, the seamen began to whoop and cheer while heading over to greet the girls.

(K) "What in the world…?" The half drow began.

(L) "Wow Kat… it looks like you've gained celebrity status here!" Lina said coyly.

A random sailor piped up at this. "Yeah but not just **here**, the tale of The Blue Warrior that slayed the Legendary Sea Hydra with one stroke and then cut out it's heart as it sank to it's watery grave beneath the sea is becoming the talk of sea going men all over!"

"_You've __**got**__ to be kidding me…"_ Katibree whispered while pulling the hood on her head further forward to more fully conceal her face reflexively as the sailors surrounded them and began to clamor happily.

(RS1) "I saw it with me own eyes I did, it was truly **amazing**!" One sailor said to another.

(K) "It really wasn't actually one stroke…" The ex-assassin said while placing a hand on her forehead with a small sigh.

(RS2) "She's so modest, that's how all heroes are eh?"

(K) "**Heroes**?" Katibree balked before sighing once more. I'm not being modest ok, I just didn't kill it in one - -" She tried to explain before being interrupted.

(RS3) "Ye both should come and have an ale or two wits us, ya should!"

(K) "You know, I believe I'll pass on th- -"

(RS1) "Yeah, that's a great idea!" "It'd be great to drink wit a legend, somethin' I can tell me grand kids about one day!"

(K) "A **legend** - -?" "Now **look** - -" Katibree began before she was once again cut off, this time by an elbow in the ribs from Lina.

"Oh come on Kat, why don't you just humor them…?" Lina asked with a smirk. "What you did really **was** impressive, and you usually don't get **any** recognition for what you do…"

_Warrior of blue, wit locks o' plat an red, went an slayed the Sea Hydra dead…! _The seamen began to sing.

"T-this is **preposterous**." The ex-assassin said in disbelief.

(L) "You mine as well get used to this Kat, you'll probably be known world wide pretty soon…" The redhead said with a laugh. "You are **my** girlfriend after all." She added wryly while reaching up and pulling back the larger girl's hood before slapping her on the shoulder cheerfully.

"Oh Gods…" Katibree groaned at this.

"Go have some fun, I'm gonna go talk some business with the Skipper." The sorceress continued.

"What, you're not even coming along?" The half drow asked distressedly.

Lina merely cupped her hands around her mouth in response to the older girl's question.

"Red… what are you - -?"

"The 'Legendary Blue Warrior' with locks of plat and red **accepts** your request to toast her **decisive** victory over the tyrannical Sea Hydra of lore with her; she'd consider it an **honor**!" The sorcery genius announced to the expectant men at the top of her lungs, before nodding her head in approval at the deafening cheers of the sailors as they swept the startled mostly platinum haired warrior up and began pulling her in the direction of the ship's new pub.

"L-Lina…!" Katibree called indignantly, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch as she was carried away by the jovial crowd of deckhands.

"G-bye hunny…" Lina called back coyly with a little wave before hefting their travel pack on her shoulder and turning her attention back to the Captain of the ship.

"I suppose ye'll be wantin' yer money." The Skipper laughed while rubbing the back of his neck as he watched the retreating spectacle.

Lina merely giggle and nodded a this.

"Alright then, let me show ya to the safe, tis in me office." The man replied as he led the redhead to the Captain's Quarters.

"**Man**, you've sure done allot to the ship since the last time we were here." The sorceress mused as she followed behind the bearded man.

"Aye, and I've even had your honorary cabin expanded and renovated I did." The Captain replied as her arrived at his quarters and let the sorceress inside.

"Honorary cabin huh?" Lina replied with a strange smirk.

"That's right, it's one of the largest rooms on Bertha, excluding areas like, storage, weapons, an the chow hall of course." The man replied while unlocking the safe and beginning to place bag after bag of coin on the table near it. "It hasn't exactly been fully furnished yet, but the room is strictly reserved for you and yer lady friend only, and ye can use it whenever ye need ta." He explained somewhat sheepishly.

"So what, it's just big empty room right now basically?" The redhead asked.

"Well, uh… it does have a bed right now, but not much else…" The Skipper replied with a sweat-drop. "I hope ye don't mind, we just hadn't gotten around to - -"

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure it'll be fine for now." The sorceress replied as she began to go through the bags of coin."And you did say that this **entire** ship is super reinforced… right?" She added as she began to count out the bounty before placing each bag in the spare pack, a deliciously devious plan beginning to develop in her mind.

"That's correct, inside an out gal!" The Skipper proclaimed proudly. "Why do ya ask…?" He added while closing and relocking the safe.

"Well, it's just that, I was thinking of possibly… testing the 'structural integrity' of your ship a little later…" Lina explained carefully as she placed the last of the bounty in the new pack.

"It **is** a unique design and I can understand yer skepticism about it, but I can guarantee you that the design is as sound a design as you'll ever find." The Captain replied while stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Never the less, give her yer best shot, ye won't be disappointed!" He added heartily while handing her the keys to the cabin.

"Oh I will, and I'm sure I won't." The redhead replied while stifling a laugh before hefting the second pack on the other shoulder. "Good doing business with ya Capt'n!" She added on her way out the door.

Minutes later, the sorcery genius had made her way to the 'Honorary Cabin', unlocking the door and taking a look inside. "Wow, this **is** big…" She said to herself approvingly as she set down the packs by the large bed. "Hardly any furniture other than the bed yet either, that's **perfect**."

_And speaking of beds, there's only one. _She mused to herself while beginning to remove her sorceress gear, replacing it with her mercenary gear. _It's almost like everyone __**but**__ Kat and I thought we were going out before we even __**were**__…_

_Was it really that obvious that we had a thing for each other…? _Lina wondered to herself while sitting on the bed and trading out her white boots for her black leather ones. _Everything that developed between us happened so subtlety that I didn't even know what was going on until all of a sudden a ton of bricks hit me… And then of course…I had to have Kat explain to me what that ton of bricks actually was…_She thought to herself with a laugh as she tightened first the straps on her forearm guards and then her thigh guards.

_Oh well, no point in dwelling on the past I guess… _"Time to get these spells up and going!" She said to no one in particular after fastening her weapons to her belt and cracking her knuckles with a mischievous little smile.

A couple of hours later, Katibree emerged from the boisterous miniature pub with a slight headache, and made her way to were the sailors said her quarters would be. _Those guys are pretty fun, but __**Gods**__ are they a loud bunch…Either way, it was nice of the Skipper to set us up with the same room again although the guys said that he's made a few changes to it… _The half drow mused to herself on her way to the room.

When she got to the cabin she found the door cracked open slightly and heard no noise coming from inside, although lanterns were clearly lit within it. _That's… odd… _The ex-assassin thought to herself, a suspicious expression passing over her half elven features.

"Lina…?" She called quietly as she put her hand on the knob and began to ease the door the rest of the way open while peering in cautiously.

Seeing that the room appeared to be empty, she stepped the rest of the way in, but left the door open. _I can feel some sort of magic in here, but it's not like the traces left over from a combat spell being fired off or anything…_Katibree thought to herself while scanning the room with her lavender colored gaze. _But what I __**don't**__ feel is even the slightest after traces of Lina's magical energy at all, even though all of our stuff is right over there…or any __**other**__ presence for that matter… _She continued to herself while shutting the door behind her. _Just what the hell is going on - -_

"Gettin' soft Kat!" Lina said while swinging a crescent kick that the half drow ducked before rolling away from the younger girl in surprise.

"H-how the hell…?" The ex-assassin began to stammer from her combat crouch on the deck.

"Smoke and mirrors, cloaks and daggers right?" The redhead said while smirking and unsheathing her weapons.

"Oh please, magic **so** doesn't count as assassin tricks of the trade!" Katibree laughed while standing up.

"A trick using magic is **still** a trick." The sorceress replied as she advanced while giving her weapons a twirl. "Now put **up** or **shut** up, 'cause ready or not, here I **come**!" She finished before running at the mostly platinum haired warrior, jumping up and spinning in the air before coming down with a backhand slash of her scimitar that the half drow rolled out of the way of, and continued the momentum of her spin to follow the attack up with a thrust of her short sword to where the larger girl had just dodged to, forcing her to jerk her head to the side to avoid the stab before rolling off to the side once more and jumping away with a back flip, landing near the bed.

(K) "Well the room's probably large enough if we don't go all out, but don't you think that the sound of a sparring session going on might alarm the crew just a little bit Red...?" Katibree asked while pushing a rogue crimson lock of hair behind a pointed ear with a smirk of her own.

"That's already taken care of, I put up a silence spell that activated the moment the door was closed…" Lina replied. _And an __**Astral**__ Damper for good measure __**too**_She thought to herself wryly. "Now draw." She added more quietly.

"Jeez, what's gotten into you all of the sudden anyway…?" Katibree chuckled.

"I said **draw**." Lina reiterated while hooking a weapon on her belt temporarily to free up a hand.

"Flare Bit!" She shouted while trusting out an arm and sending countless sparks of fire shooting from her hands at the older girl.

The ex-assassin flipped her blades out and deflected the sparks with a flurry of parries easily enough, but before the smoke from the miniature explosions had even cleared, Lina rushed her, propelling herself with a Ray Wing spell with surprising speed.

"Whoa!" The ex-assassin exclaimed while bracing herself and throwing up her weapons at the last moment to block the attack of the redhead charging towards her.

The two sets of weapons met with a resounding clash of steel, as sparks began to fly from the friction of them grinding together.

(L) "I **already** told you… I'm not holding **back**!" The redhead growled as the sheer velocity of the rushing attack forced the larger girl back and across the room with her boots skidding along the deck until she was slammed roughly into the opposite wall with a grunt.

As soon as the half drow hit the wall, the sorceress unlocked her weapons from the older girl's and pushed off with a flip before crossing her blades once more, charging and expelling a Digger Bolt through them.

The mostly platinum haired warrior dodged to the side of the chain of lightning so quickly that Lina could hardly follow the movement and skid to a halt, the lightning shooting past the her and charring the wall directly next to her as cool lavender eyes met and locked with blazing ruby ones.

(L) "Do I have your attention **now**?" Lina asked with a flip of her crimson colored mane.

Katibree wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth caused by biting her lip from the force of being slammed against the wall while sizing the younger girl up a moment.

"**Humph, **alright..." She finally replied before seemingly blinking out and reappearing directly in front of the startled sorceress. "First blood goes to you then, let's **play**." She said while flashing a dangerous smile before assaulting the younger girl with a flurry of spinning and dexterous attacks.

The redhead gasped and began staggering backwards, barely deflecting and dodging the barrage of attacks as she went. The constant flowing attacks and the wild but graceful movements of the half drow where quickly wearing on the sorceress and she was beginning to lose track of the seemingly endless hail of blades almost as if she were being hypnotized when suddenly she was kicked in the gut hard enough to send her flying backwards, first onto the bed before bouncing off it and onto the floor.

"Ahhh… hawh…!" She gasped from the wind being knocked out of her as she hit the floor rolling, finally coming to a stop while clutching her stomach. "Nice… one…" She hissed while slowly getting back up. "You're…even faster than the last time we sparred…"

"Ready for round two, lover?" The ex-assassin asked while placing one foot in front of the other and readying her weapons before giving the redhead a little wink.

"Oh yeah…" Lina replied while refocusing her fighting stance with a smirk. "Just getting started actually." She added as her short sword and scimitar began to glow a bluish white color and crackle menacingly with jolts of electricity.

"Tricky, tricky..." Katibree said with a click of her tongue as she sheathed her weapons with a fluid motion and assumed a hand to hand stance while advancing cautiously.

"It's your move babe..." The redhead with a grin as the two circled one another slowly, the bluish light of the swords illuminating the room with a strange glow, casting several shadows on the walls of the room. "You **do** know that I could just Shadow Snap you and end this right now, don't you?"

"You could **try**." The half drow replied before seemingly blinking out and appearing behind her.

"Wha - - she did it again - -!" Was all the sorcery genius managed as she spun around in an attempt to defend herself before having her legs kicked out from under her.

"Checkmate." The ex-assassin said whipping a blade out as she came back around for another attack with the momentum of the sweep kick even as the redhead was still falling.

"**Don't** get so **cocky**!" Lina exclaimed as she discharged a blast of chain lightning from her swords as she hit the ground with her head wracking against it painfully, sending the blast directly into the metal bracers the larger girl reflexively blocked with, and propelling her across the room and into the opposite wall.

"**Uhnnn**!" The older girl exclaimed as she was blasted by the lightning before hitting the opposing wall with another grunt before sliding down it hitting the ground.

"Don't **tell** me you already forgot about **that**. The redhead said as she stood somewhat shakily and took a fighting stance once more. "When I play, I play for keeps… you know that Kat."

"My… sentiments exactly…Red." Katibree said while pulling herself up, breathing somewhat raggedly. "That was **very** impressive…but the last… best two out of three…" She continued while finally making it to her feet. "Is…**mine**." She replied before flashing forward, dodging the arcs of lightning the sorceress shot at her as she advanced so quickly that she began to leave afterimages.

Lina tried to counter the rush attack with her weapons at the last moment as the older girl closed in, but one arm was caught and wrenched behind her back causing her to drop her short sword as she was forced up against the wall trapping it there, and after a short power struggle between the two, the scimitar was disarmed as well, that arm yanked up and slammed against the wall above the sorcery genius's head as a blade was pressed to her throat causing her to gasp quietly.

Both girls merely stood that way locking eyes while breathing heavily with their faces mere inches away one another's for a long moment before either one spoke.

(K) "So… do you yield." Katibree said gruffly.

"And if I don't…?" Lina challenged while moving her head forward, further pressing her neck against the tip of the ex-assassin's blade and causing a thin trickle of blood to run down her neck as she stared back at the larger girl with unadulterated defiance blazing in her ruby colored eyes.

The ex-assassin growled at this, moving her face forward so closely to the smaller girl's that their noses were nearly touching and just stayed that way a moment before suddenly lowering her weapon and roughly kissing the sorceress who returned the kiss hungrily.

The older girl gradually relinquished her grip on the redhead's left arm letting it slide down the wall from above them while letting her blade drop to the floor as their kissing deepened and her hands began to tend to other pressing matters while the smaller girl reached under the ex-assassin's cloak and unzipped her vest with her now free hand.

Finally freeing her other arm that had been trapped between her and the wall, Lina slid the now open vest down and off of Katibree's shoulders as their tongues continued to duel with one another with steadily increasing urgency.

As their passion continued to crest, the ex-assassin kissed her way down to the sorceress's neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure from the younger girl as she began to suck on the area that had been nicked by the tip of her blade while pulling her off of the wall and guiding her in the direction of the bed as they both hurriedly began stripping off their remaining gear as they went.

By the time the two made it to the edge of the bed all articles of clothing had been removed minus one very stubborn set of chest wraps, after a short moment of necking while simultaneously working at loosening them, the redhead lost her patience and pulled back from the half drow slightly.

"Hold still a sec." She said huskily before raising a hand up as her pointer finger began to glow an orange color.

Katibree raised a mostly platinum colored eyebrow and watched in bemusement as the sorcery genius placed her finger on the wraps and began to slowly sear the material open from top to bottom, kissing the smooth blue flesh that was bared as she went and causing the older girl to shudder slightly at the sensation of the redhead's lips brushing against her skin coupled with the feeling of the heat and magic still tingling on the surface of it.

Once the sorceress made it to the bottom of the wraps, she gave the half drow's stomach one last lingering kiss before gripping the fabric between her teeth and pulling it from around the larger girl's torso, flinging the wraps off to the side with a toss of her head. "Now, where were we…?" She said as she stood back up while sliding her hands from the ex-assassin's lightly muscled stomach back up to her breasts.

"Right about here I believe…" The half drow said with a sultry tone to her voice as she pushed the redhead backwards and onto the bed.

The sorceress's giggles soon turned to short gasps as the older girl's playful nuzzling and kissing of various parts of her legs made their way toward her inner thighs before gradually beginning to wander to decidedly more sensitive areas. After a few more lavish kisses to the area, the ex-assassin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling and savoring the younger girl's scent before parting her love slightly with her fingers and beginning to tease the various delicate folds within with her deft tongue, causing Lina to squirm and arch her back instinctively.

"Oh Gods…!" The redhead moaned as the mostly platinum haired warrior began to concentrate on the center area of her love, varying the speed and pressure of the movements of her tongue. "**Unh**, get up here a minute…" She suddenly breathed while partially sitting up and grabbing a handful of the half drow's mostly platinum colored locks to bring her back up to eye level.

"Déjà vu anyone?" Katibree asked in amusement.

"Just come here…!" The sorcery genius giggled.

"What's wrong?" The larger girl inquired while sliding her lithe frame along Lina's until they were once again face to face.

"Nothing's wrong…" Lina said with a smirk before reaching up and flipping the half drow over to the side and onto her back. "It's just that at the rate that you were going, this whole thing would be over before it even really began." She continued to explain while rolling over until her breasts partially rested on the older girl's while looking down at her.

"I already **know** that you can get **me** from start to finish in nearly no time flat…" The redhead continued as she began to trail a hand down the ex-assassin's torso, lightly scratching with her nails as she went while moving her mouth up to a pointed ear. "But this time around, it's my turn to find out what I can do to you." She whispered directly into the mostly platinum haired warrior's ear, causing her to shudder slightly at the feel of younger girl's warm breath passing over the ultra sensitive nerve endings in the ridges and tip of her ear.

Katibree took in a sharp shaky breath as the sorceress grazed the tip of one of her ears with her teeth experimentally and her still descending hand simultaneously reached it's southward destination, beginning to explore there as well.

"How's that..?" The redhead inquired into the older girl's neck as she first began to slowly rub the outer part of the larger girl's womanhood before applying just enough pressure with a finger to part it slightly and begin exploring the slick sensitive folds within.

"It's…ah- -" Was all the larger girl could get out this time before gasping quietly as Lina's exploration rewarded her with the discovery of an interesting feeling hard little nub in the middle of it all, sending one wave of pleasure after another coursing through her as the younger girl began to move a finger in lazy circles around it. "Let's just say that you've got… one hell of a learning curve…" She finally managed with a heady chuckle.

The sorceress merely smiled at this before kissing her way down to a supple breast and began teasing the already erect nipple with her tongue before beginning to suck on it, causing it to harden further while she continued to vary the angle and increase the speed that she moved her fingers with her hand, the quiet but escalating moans of the older girl urging her on.

As the mostly platinum haired warrior's breathing began to deepen, she reached a hand of her own down and guided two of the redhead's fingers inside of her.

Lina froze a moment, surprised at the sudden feel of the wet heat surrounding her fingers, her ruby colored eyes widening as she comprehended where they'd just gone. Her confidence beginning to waver, she turned her head to look at Katibree only to be met with a deep kiss.

Needing no further encouragement, the younger girl began to work her fingers in and out, first slowly and then more vigorously as she felt the ex-assassin's love begin to contract around her and her back beginning to arch.

After a moment of this the half drow's breath began to come in short gasps and she suddenly reached down to restrain Lina's eager fingers, momentarily removing them while forcing herself to break away from the kiss with a frustrated curse before dropping her head the rest of the way back to her pillow.

"W-what…?" The sorceress asked with a comically forlorn expression on her face.

"Just turn around that way some and put your left leg over here…" The older girl explained while stifling a laugh.

Lina straddled the ex-assassin as instructed before looking back, flushing even more at the odd point of view that she was seeing the larger girl from. "Like this…?" She asked shyly.

"Perfect." Katibree replied huskily as she reached up and guided the smaller girl's hips a little lower and further back with her hands before lifting her head up and beginning to once again lavish the sorceress's now swollen petals with much needed attention, causing the sorceress's breath to catch in her throat.

Fighting off the urge to just give in and lose herself in the sensations intensifying within her, the redhead reached down with a hand and circled two fingers around the entrance the older girl's love to pinpoint it before once again beginning to sliding them in and out smoothly, eliciting a throaty moan of pleasure from the larger girl.

The mostly platinum warrior's sounds of approval arousing her all the more, the sorceress increased her pace, pumping her fingers in and out more vigorously while adjusting the position of her arm so that she could use her mouth as well. When she began to meet resistance as the larger girl's love started to tense up once more, she inserted a third finger and doubled her efforts while continuing to lick the ex-assassin's exposed and elevated bud.

"Shit Lina…!" Katibree moaned as her eyes began to roll into the back of her head. Doing her best to delay her curtain call just awhile longer, she went straight for the goal, rapidly feathering the tip of her tongue up and down on the tip of the younger girl's hyper sensitive little nub and triggering an unexpectedly intense wave of pleasure to wash over the redhead, nudging her over the precarious line she'd been balancing and into ecstasy.

As the force of the unexpected climax wracked Lina's body, she tensed up in the middle of what she had been doing and unwittingly bit down on the half drow's own most sensitive area, causing the larger girl to cry out, the mixture of pleasure and pain causing her world to return to white as well as the redhead collapsed on top of her.

After a few moments of the only noise in the room being the sounds of the two girl's slowing breathing, the redhead glanced down at her handy work with a smirk before slowly removing her fingers from Katibree with a wet sucking noise and sitting up while looking back at the older girl before falling backwards on her giggling.

"…You planned this whole thing from start to finish didn't you?" The half drow chuckled.

"Most of it, yup!" The sorceress replied with a happy sigh while looking at her fingers before giving them a lick.

"Don't you think that was just a **little** elaborate there lover?" The ex-assassin asked wryly.

"How **else** was I supposed to try and get ya in the mood…?" Lina asked while rolling off to the side of her and onto her stomach. "It's not like I'd get that response from you with flowers and a candle lit dinner." She added with a mischievous smirk before giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Touché Red, touché." Katibree laughed while placing her hands behind her head. "Either way, it seems that the explosive event that happened last time was a one time deal."

"Yeah, which means I spent all that time on that stupid Astral Damper spell for nothing…" The redhead brooded. "Oh well, better safe than sorry right 'V'?"

"**Astral Damper**… jeez where you **ever** spoiling for this - - wait a sec…**'V'**?" The ex-assassin asked. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I just noticed a little something is all." The sorcery genius said with a cat-with-the-cream smile while pointing down at the larger girl's nether regions.

Katibree looked down and saw a twin pair of crimson colored streaks of hair in the midst of the fine platinum hairs that started on either side and ran at an angle toward the center of her womanhood before meeting near the bottom, clearly shaped in a V formation.

"Huh, never noticed that before…" The mostly platinum warrior chuckled. "I guess you can get me back for the nickname I gave you now huh?"

"You better believe it!" Lina said happily.

"Guess it can't be helped." The half drow sighed.

"Nope." The redhead agreed with a laugh. "**So**, calling you that in public now."

"Well embarrassing nicknames aside, the room actually stood up to our little sparring session really well…" The ex-assassin mused while surveying the room.

"It really did, ol' Greybeard's got some pretty impressive engineers…" The sorceress agreed while rolling back on top of Katibree and straddling her from the front this time. "So… you ready to go again yet?" She added while leaning forward with a seductive little smile.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're not talking about sparring…" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied with a chuckle.

"I guess that depends on your definition of 'sparring'…" Lina said naughtily.

"You'll be the death of me yet…" Katibree laughed with an exaggerated sigh.


	48. Chapter 48

(C) "Yer **crazy** gal!!" The Skipper shouted while holding onto a platform secured to Bertha for dear life as the vessel went hurtling violently toward the shore of the former inner barrier, being propelled by the aftermath of what was most likely one of the largest tidal waves **ever**.

Several deckhands yelled as they slid back and forth precariously on the deck of the ship, struggling to find a suitable hand or foothold while being battered with barrage after barrage of waves that the out of control vessel kicked up as it careened through the water rapidly closing in on land.

(C) "Till be… till be teh end o us **all**…!" The Captain sputtered after being pummeled with yet another surge of water. "Ye've put us in more danger **now** than the sea monster you slayed **ever** would have!" He continued to rant angrily.

(L) "Eh heh, yeah well... at least that's one less monster in the sea to harass your fellow sea goers right…?" Lina shouted back before squealing as the vessel's front end dipped sporadically, causing the aft end to jerk up out of the water, rudely dislodging and jettisoning her from the post that she'd been clinging to in the midst of the chaos.

"_**Arrrrghhhhhhhh**_ - - hawh…!" The redhead shouted as she was thrown through the air before being caught by a certain half elf swinging around from a loose mooring line and preventing her from being completely dumped from the ship and into the churning sea at the last moment.

(K) "You know a Dragon Slave makes a big enough disturbance in the ocean regularly **without** you testing the new incantation you came up with for your talismans and **amplifying** one Red…" The ex-assassin said flusteredly as she kicked her legs out with the momentum of the swing, allowing it to launch them both up and over the guardrails of the vessel and back onto its' deck with the redhead under the crook of her arm.

"Well none of my other spells were working, and **besides…** the damn thing was **mocking** me…!" The sorceress complained through gritted teeth while hurriedly grabbing the end of the line the half elf was still holding and wrapping it around them before tying it to the first stationary thing she could find.

"**What** spells…?" "The **only** spell you even tried was a Fireball, and the moment the sea creature countered it with it's water breath, you got pissed off and blasted it with a juiced up **Dragon Slave** directly **afterwards**!" Katibree shot back with her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch as she extended a leg to an unfortunate sailor currently skidding by on his back across the deck of the ship, who grabbed it gratefully just before all three of them were drenched with yet another freezing torrent of water.

"Oh…I **did** do that didn't I…?" Lina laughed while standing upright now that she had some added stability before nonchalantly Shadow Snapping a couple of toppling crewmen to the deck before they went careening over the railing of Bertha.

(L) "Well you know I don't think straight when I'm that **mad**, why didn't you just stop me, it's not like you weren't standing right next to me when I casted - -" The sorcery genius cut off what she'd been saying suddenly. _Wait a second…Kat finally told me why she was always so against me using magic on and around her when we first met…And she __**also**__ told me about the affect it had on her when she was next to me while I casted a __**normal**__ Dragon Slave that day with all those orcs…_

_And now… I just __amplified__ one not even two feet from her…Heh… __**Whoops**__…?_

_Guess that explains why it took her so long to get in gear after the tsunami hit…_She added to herself in embarrassment before looking over at the older girl. "Uhm, sorry about that Kat, I totally forgot…"

"…Just shut up and brace for shock…" The half drow replied with a quiet laugh as she struggled to reinforce the sorceress's hurried attempt at battening down the hatches with a knot of her own.

"We're already to the **shore**??" The redhead balked while spinning around to look and immediately turning back around to grip the handles on the mast they were now tied to after catching a glimpse of land bearing down on them much more quickly than it was the last time she'd looked. "I thought I'd at least have time to try and - -!" Was all she managed before the now airborne fortress / missile first impacted with, and then gouged the shore as it skid along the ground, leaving a huge trench in its wake as most of the crew that had managed to stay aboard it up to this point screamed in unison.

(L) "…Try and… slow it down..." The sorcery genius finished unsteadily as the vessel finally ground to a halt.

(K) "Urgh… well I guess the saying does go: "Whatever landing you can walk away from, is a good one." Katibree said while freeing up the mooring line around the two of them with a slight grimace.

(C) "That is supposin'…" The Captain's muffled voice began quietly from underneath a decidedly out of place life boat. "That me Bertha were **meant** ta**bloody**_**fly**_ta**begin**with!" He exploded as he jumped up, throwing the boat off of him while gesturing angrily.

(L) "Looks like ol' Greybeard's pretty steamed…" Lina said while rubbing the back of her neck and stifling a giggle.

"Can you blame him…?" The ex-assassin asked while ringing out one portion of her cloak after another as she surveyed their surroundings. "Now that I'm really taking a look at things, that tidal wave was even more massive than I thought."

"And what do you mean by that exactly…?" The redhead asked while picking a bit of seaweed out of her hair and tossing it aside with a frown.

(C) "…Ruined!" **Ruined** I tell **ye**…!!" The Skipper ranted while jumping up and down in the background as the two girls conversed.

(K) "Just take a good look at the area." The half drow replied while making her way over to the railing for a better look herself.

"It - - It **can't** be…!" "We're almost **halfway** to…to…!" Lina gaped in disbelief while taking in their surroundings.

"That's right, which means that what we **thought** was the shore that we were just **beginning** to close in on before…" The larger girl said before trailing off with a resigned sigh.

"Was… actually just the tsunami having already washed us far enough inland… for the water to finally lose enough momentum to make it look like we were just then starting to close in on the shore…!" The sorceress finished for her with a strained groan.

(C) "…Father always told me woman'r **bad** luck on ships, but did I **listen**…?!" "_**Neh**_!" The Captain continued as he kicked a bucket in the direction of a waterlogged sailor, causing him to flinch.

(K) "Bingo, Red." Katibree affirmed.

(L) _Almost a __**third **__of the continent is probably flooded out, and that tidal wave __**had**__ to have gone __**right**__ over my hometown for us to be where we are right now…_ The sorcery genius thought to herself franticly._ Oh __**Gods**__… Luna's going to - -_ "… She's gonna **KILL** _**me**_…!" She finally exclaimed out loud while covering her face with her hands and sinking to the deck of the ship in pure despair.

The mostly platinum haired warrior took this time to head to the 'maybe not so honorary anymore cabin' with a shrug and retrieved their travel packs. After she'd made her way back out to the outer decks she merely stopped and sweat-dropped at the scene before her. Apparently Lina and Greybeard had fallen even deeper into their depressions while she'd been gone...

Now both the Skipper as well as her 'gallant and dashing' lover were sitting back to back on the deck of Bertha, tear rivers streaming down their faces as they moped together in stereo sound.

"Ruined… absolutely **ruined**!" The Captain continued to groan.

"**So** dead…huphmmmphhhrrmphhh…" Lina chimed in haggardly.

"…Cursed by the Gods of the **sea**…"

"Just only begun to **live**…!"

(K) "Oh… jeez." Katibree sighed with a roll of her lavender colored eyes. "Heads up Gramps." She said before tossing an additional bag of bounty money into his lap.

"What good is this without me ship gal…?" Greybeard asked forlornly.

"Look, your 'Bertha' may be stranded on land right now… but she's not really damaged at all." The ex-assassin began to explain. "She's still as sturdy as ever, and I'm sure there's something else you can think to do with her."

"It's a kind gesture an all lass, but what am I supposed ta do with a warship in the middle o dry land countless miles away from teh ocean?"

"Well there may be no water to speak of, but Bertha **does** still have all of the accommodations that any business establishment would need to prosper on land…" The mostly platinum haired warrior offered while attempting to get the disintegrating, still groaning form that was Lina Inverse to her feet.

"A business establishment eh..? Greybeard mused to himself while stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"Oh and Captain…?" The half elf postponed her sorcery genius gathering to ask.

"What's that gal?" The Skipper inquired.

(L) "She'll find out for sure…!" The sorceress continued to herself brokenly.

"Considering that you and the crew where the only witnesses to what actually happened here, if anyone asks, would you mind just… passing this whole thing off as a natural disaster?" Katibree rose her voice slightly to ask over the still groaning redhead.

"A natural disaster?" The Captain balked.

"Well, the person responsible for causing this **could** technically count as a walking force of nature right…?" The half drow asked.

"…Aye I suppose she could." Greybeard couldn't help but agree.

"And on top of that, I honestly think that some flooding as collateral damage is a pretty small price to pay when you've got someone that's powerful enough to save the world from The Dark Lord and his forces of evil whenever she's needed just walking around on a daily basis." The mostly platinum haired warrior continued.

"Sometimes she just doesn't know her own strength, but as you can see, the poor girl is practically in tears of grief over what has happened…" _If I lay it on any thicker, we'll fall through this reinforced deck… he can't actually be buying this…_The larger girl thought to herself with a sweat-drop as she looked down at the still desolate sorceress as if in concern for her.

"Hum, tis a good point as well lass…" "I guess it really can't be helped that someone as strong as she is overdoes it every once in a while, must be pretty hard to deal with catchin' hell for every honest mistake…" The man finally said in a sympathetic tone. "Jus let me talk to the men a moment."

Katibree blinked in disbelief as the Skipper turned away to call his deckhands to him for an impromptu meeting. _Hook, line, and sinker…_ She thought to herself in bemusement before turning back to Lina and suddenly making a fist, wracking her over the top of the head with it.

"OW… hoown - - what'd ya go and do that for??" She hissed at while looking up at the grinning older girl and holding the growing welt on her head.

"I had to snap you out of your funk somehow." The ex-assassin chuckled. "The least you could do is look all impressive and heroine like while I try and keep you out of hot water…" She added while nodding her head in the direction of the crew meeting with a smirk.

"What's going on over there?" The redhead asked as she stood while rubbing her head absently.

"I'm assuming that Greybeard is going over your 'alibi' with the crew." The half elf said with a nonchalant shrug.

"My alibi?" Lina asked while turning her head to the side and wringing out her crimson colored locks.

"Yeah, I basically convinced him to spread the word around that this whole tsunami deal was just a natural disaster instead of your doing." The mostly platinum haired warrior explained.

"And… just how did you pull that one off when he was absolutely furious with me just a minute ago?" The sorcery genius inquired in disbelief before casting a modified version of the Levitation spell to begin drying her clothing as a posed to using the current of air to hover with.

"By making you out to be the tragic and misunderstood heroine of course." Katibree replied with a coy little wink.

Just then the Captain and some of the crew turned from the others and made their way back over to the girls.

(C) "The men understand, and yer little 'mishap' is safe with us." Greybeard began. "Just like your companion said, with someone as powerful as you are, sometimes ye just don't know your own strength… but even with that being the case, ye definitely do more good than bad in the world!"

The sailors clamored in agreement at this statement as Lina smiled and sweat-dropped while Katibree looked on and nodded in feigned solemness behind her.

(C) "All we ask in return is that once yer current business is finished, ye both come back an help us find a way to get ol' Bertha back to the sea where she belongs an toast yer latest victory wit us!" Greybeard added as the deckhands behind him began to cheer boisterously.

(L) "W-wouldn't miss it for the world, eh, heh, heh…" The sorcery genius said while waving to them all with an even larger sweat-drop as she made her way to the lowering off ramp of the vessel with the ex-assassin following behind her and doing much of the same.

(L) "I don't know my own strength." The redhead finally deadpanned with lowered eyelids after the two of them had leapt from the off ramp and the rest of the way to the ground below.

"What, it's not like **they** know you can be precise enough with your magic to light a candle from across the room if you want to!" The half drow laughed.

"Jeez, you could talk your way out of an iron safe Kat…" The sorceress said with a giggle.

"Humph, this coming from the con-artist that used to 'conveniently' save people's lives for the sole purpose of guilt tripping them into providing you with free room and board for the night…" Katibree teased.

"Hah, and just who are **you** to preach about morals Miss I-used-to-whack-people-for-a-living?" Lina teased back.

"Hey, I'm reformed now aren't I?" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied wryly while placing her hands behind her head as she walked.

"Pffft, yeah… thanks to me!" The redhead said while pointing to herself proudly.

The half drow stopped walking at this and merely stared up at the sky in thought a moment before replying. "…Yeah, I'm going to have to give you that one." She finally agreed with a laugh.

"Lina: one, Katibree: zilch, zero, nada… oh yeah!" The smaller girl announced triumphantly to no one in particular.

"And what happened to yesterdays score?" The ex-assassin asked while giving the sorcery genius a playful shove.

Lina broke off her festivities momentarily at this. "That was yesterday." She answered simply before beginning to make crowd cheering noises through her cupped hands once again much to the older girl's exasperation.

"Anyway, do you know if there's a suitable place around here to set up camp Lina..?" Katibree asked with a resigned sigh. "I'd like to keep moving but if we don't treat our gear soon it'll be ruined by the saltwater."

The redhead sobered a bit at this and gave the area one last once over. "Yeah, there should be a decent clearing to camp in along side a lake in that direction." She replied. "And on top of that, I'd really love a bath too… I think some of that seaweed actually made its way into my underwear somehow…" She added with a giggle.

"Well if that's the case, make sure you tell it to behave itself." The half elf laughed.

"And my, aren't we sounding possessive today… If you're so worried about the seaweed misbehaving, why don't you come and help me get it out?" The sorceress replied with a naughty little wink.

The older girl looked up at the sky at this last comment. "L-sama, I think… I've created a monster." She said wistfully.

Later on that night…

(L) _**Sylphiel's**__ house, how the heck did I get __**here**__…? _Lina thought to herself in confusion as she made her way down a warmly colored hallway.

"Helloooo… anybody home…?" She called while studying the various pictures of Sylphiel, her belated father, and even some of the rest of the crew on the walls as she went.

(G) "Lina is that you?" Gourry called back from somewhere further inside the house. "Hey Sylphiel, Lina's back!" "Come on over, we're in the dining room area!" He added cheerfully.

"That figures…" The redhead said to herself while stopping to look at a group photo of the main gang minus Fillia, goofing off for the camera with a soft expression on her face as memories of the past began to flood back to her. "I'll be right there Gourry!" She added more loudly.

Soon enough the sorcery genius made her way to the dining room. "Heya guys, long time no see!" She exclaimed happily.

(G) "Hey Lina, I was starting to think you'd never come back!" Gourry laughed while standing from the dinner table to greet her.

"Oh come on Gourry, you know me better than that!" Lina joked while giving him a bear hug, causing the swordsman savant to wheeze slightly.

(S) "I'm glad to see that you didn't manage to get yourself into more trouble than you could handle, Miss Lina!" Sylphiel called from the kitchen as she washed dishes.

"Well what'd you expect; it is **me** after all, Sylphiel." The sorceress boasted as she headed over to the table and made herself at home.

"Miss Lina, you never change." The shrine maiden said with a giggle. "You've just missed dinner, but I can make you a little something if you'd like." She added.

"Yeah I'd like that, you're as great a hostess as ever Sylphiel, thanks!" Lina replied.

(G) "So what did you have to do in Zerphermia Lina…?" The swordsman savant asked eagerly while taking a seat of his own next to her.

The redhead could only sweat-drop at the master swordsman's inevitable butcher of her homeland's name with a small smile before simply sighing in resignation.

"Well, it was an investigation that the Queen originally appointed my sister to take care of; but since Luna was already busy, she dumped the whole deal off on me." Lina began to explain.

(S) "Is this about the assassination attempt that was rumored to have taken place in the capital Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked while peering at her through the door leading to the dining area.

_Assassination __**attempt**__…?_ The redhead thought to herself in bemusement. "Well ah… something like that yeah…" She finally replied while rubbing the back of her neck.

(G) "A 'would be' assassin huh…?" The blond warrior mused. "So did you ever catch him?" He asked.

Lina began to turn an interesting shade of red at this. "Eh, heh, uhm… y-yeah I guess you could say I did…" She began to stammer. _And __**speaking**__ of that whole mess, where the heck __**is**__ Kat…? Why should I have to be the only person answering all the questions - -_

In the middle of her thoughts the ceiling above them suddenly ripped open and a massive black ball of energy tore through the new opening, exploding with blistering heat upon impact in with the dinning room table and sending both her and Gourry flying.

(G) "Aaaaarrrggh…!" The swordsman savant exclaimed as he was catapulted into an adjacent wall.

Lina hit the same wall with a grunt a few feet from Gourry before looking up at the hole in the ceiling with a grimace. "What in the hell…?" The redhead began as Sylphiel came running from the kitchen in alarm.

(?) "It seems I've missed you Gourry Gabriev…" A disembodied voice laughed. "How unfortunate."

"A monster!" Both Lina and Sylphiel exclaimed.

(G) "Just who the hell are you and why are you attacking us?" The blonde swordsman shouted up angrily.

"My name is unimportant, but **do** know that Serpent-Master Soshurn sends his regards." The red scaled demon replied as he materialized in the middle of the ruined dining area while lobbing another black ball of energy in the direction of Gourry and Lina.

The two scrambled to their feet and ran, jumping in opposite directions as the blast hit, sending them both flying even more forcefully this time.

(S) "Elmekia… **Lance**!" Sylphiel cried, a white blast of magic shooting from her hands at the hovering monster that turned to look at her before swatting it aside with a laugh.

"Now wasn't that just **precious**?" The Mazoku crooned as he astral-warped from across the room to directly in front of her, his palm outstretched and charging a rapidly growing ball of energy mere inches from her face. "Sylphiel Nels Rada was it…?"

(L) "_**Sylphiel**_!" Lina exclaimed while pulling herself up from the ruble. "Don't you **touch** her you _**creep**_, it's **me** you want _**not**_ her!" "Elmekia _**Flame**_!"

The Mazoku didn't even bother to turn around as the searing lance of energy shot toward him and seemed to merely vanish just before it made it to him.

_It's like he didn't even hear me… and that spell just - - what happened…?_ The redhead thought to herself while looking down at her hands in confusion.

(S) "I'm… I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger Miss Lina…" The shrine maiden said quietly while looking past the Mazoku and at the redhead as Gourry regained consciousness from across the room.

(G) "_**Sylphiel**_…!" Gourry shouted as he staggered to his feet unsteadily while holding his head, a river of blood streaming down the left side of his face, partially blinding him.

The demon scoffed at the shrine maiden's strange statement. "You speak as if the little witch where actually here, when the whole reason **I'm** even here to begin with is to bring her out of hiding under orders of Serpent-Master." "Either way it appears Gabriev is up from his little nap now… Good that means he can watch your demise, now _**die**_." He spat venomously before firing a blast of unholy energy at Sylphiel pointblank, incinerating her completely.

"_**SYLPHIEEEEELL**_…!!!!!" Lina and Gourry shouted in unison.

(L) _This - - this can't be __**happening**__; it __**doesn't**__ make any __**sense**__…! _Lina thought to herself as tears began to well up in her ruby colored eyes. _Th-that last spell should have - - __**Gods**__, Sylphiel __**can't**__ be gone, she jus __**can't**__…!_

Gourry bolted over to a stand, pulling a ceremonial sword from it with tears in his own eyes. "**You're** - - you're gonna **pay**… you're gonna **pay** for _**that**_ **you** son of a _**BITCH**_!" He roared before charging the laughing monster.

"_**Gourry**_ don't do **it**, you can't do a damn **thing** to him with that sword!!" Lina shouted after him brokenly. "I've **got** to do something - - !" "Lord of dreams that terrify, sword of cold and darkness…!"

"_Lina…?"_

The redhead began chanting as she went tearing after the blonde warrior desperately with tears still streaming down her face. "**Free** yourself from the heavens bonds, become **one** with my power, **one** with my **body**, and let us walk the path of destruction **together**!"

"_Lina…!"_

"**Power** that can smash even the souls of the **GODS**…_**RAGNA**_…!"

"_Gods Red, wake __**up**__!" _

"- -**Kat**…?" The sorceress gasped as she was finally shaken awake, jerking up to a sitting position in panic and breathing raggedly, the beginnings of a Ragna Blade crackling and forming between her clenched fists.

"It's ok, it's ok it's me, you were having a nightmare…" Katibree said quietly. "Watch the spell, babe… the spell…" She added with some alarm as the violently shaking redhead's unconscious concentration on holding the spell began to waver and the unfinished Ragna Blade began to fluctuate dangerously.

The sorcery genius looked at the older girl with a mixture of fear, relief, confusion and a multitude of less easily described feelings before finally comprehending what the half drow was talking about and first stabilizing and then dispelling the Ragna Blade while letting out a slow uneven breath.

"Are you… alright now?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked gently.

The redhead sat wordlessly a moment still in shock, before covering her face with a quiet sob. "Oh Gods Kat, that was **awful**…" She finally said brokenly. "It was so vivid… everything felt like it was actually happening, and **Sylphiel**…!"

"It all over now, it was just a dream…" The ex-assassin said quietly while sitting up herself and pulling the still trembling form of the smaller girl into a gentle embrace, wrapping the formerly dislodged blanket that they'd been using around the both of them once more.

"She… she was killed right in front of me, and I couldn't do a thing about it…" "It was like I was there, but I wasn't… but at the same time, it was all so **real**…" Lina barely managed in between strangled sobs while pressing her face to the older girl's chest.

After giving the redhead a moment to get some of the tears out of her system, Katibree spoke once more. "Well stopping to think about this dream logically… have you ever been known to have premonitions or anything to that affect?" She asked quietly while freeing up an arm and leaning to the side slightly to rummage around in a nearby pack for a handkerchief or a suitable substitute for one.

The sorceress listened to the beat of the older girl's heart, the steady rhythm of it seeming to somehow ground her more firmly in reality and calm her as she collected her thoughts a moment before finally answering. "No… I'm normally not even much of one for having nightmares period, let alone premonitions."

"If that's the case, then I'd say that nightmare just now was most likely the concern that you've have for your friends getting dragged into this before they even know what going on stewing in the back of your mind for months before finally manifesting itself in a very nasty way." The ex-assassin mused while handing the sorcery genius a makeshift hanky.

"I guess that's possible…" Lina began while scooting to a more upright position and beginning the task of drying her still slightly puffy eyes. "But I'm telling you, it's like I was there… I could **feel** the heat from the explosions, smell the smell of… of charred flesh after it happened…" She tried to explain before trailing off, her voice wavering as a flashback of Sylphiel being incinerated and the memory of the smell assaulted her once more.

Katibree did her best to shake off the feel of the haunted look in the smaller girl's ruby colored eyes taking root in her own soul while forcing her brain to work on a solution independently. She'd never seen the fiery redhead this shaken and it was beginning to take its toll on her emotionally as well.

"…Alright." The half drow finally sighed after a moment more of thought. "Do you think you have enough components left over from that communication spell ritual you did in Gheyahsayl to perform another one?" She asked while running her fingers through her mostly platinum colored mane.

"Y-yeah… I think I just might actually…" The sorceress replied in surprise.

"Well why don't we squash this whole 'what if' deal right now if we can, and I'll get dinner reheated while you work on that." The mostly platinum haired warrior said as she reached for some fresh timber to restart the camp fire.

"That sounds like a plan, Kat." Lina replied, already in search of the spell components even as she spoke.

The ritual was ready in record time 10 minutes later and already in the process of being performed as Katibree looked on with a bowl of reheated stew in hand.

"Come on Sylphiel, get the link and answer already…" The sorcery genius whispered while furrowing her brow in concentration to put more insistence and force behind the spell incase the shrine maiden was sleeping and needed to be woken up.

Eventually the raven haired girl answered much to Lina's relief. _M-Miss Lina…?_ She asked telepathically in groggy bewilderment.

_Yeah, it's me Sylphiel…_ The redhead thought to the shrine maiden while glancing over and giving the ex-assassin a thumbs up sign with a tired but happy grin.

_A communication spell… is something the matter Miss Lina?_ The shrine maiden asked with some alarm.

_No Sylphiel… nothing's wrong._ The sorceress replied mentally while taking a bowl of stew from Katibree with a nod of thanks and beginning to sip from it as she conversed with the raven haired girl. _But there are definitely some new developments that we need to all sit down and talk about._

_New developments…?_ Sylphiel pondered before trailing off. _Even with you masking your emotions, I know this tone of voice Lina, what's happened? _She finally thought back grimly.

_Nothing's happened yet, Sylphiel… you can trust me on that, but it's inevitable that something will. _Lina tried to explain with a frustrated sigh. _Look, we're already a few days away from Sairaag as it is, why don't you and Gourry just meet us halfway at that inn that we used to always stay at in Stock Town whenever we were on the road together in that area._

_Alright I'll let Gourry dear know what you've said, but what do you mean by 'we', do you have someone with you already Miss Lina? _The shrine maiden inquired.

_Uh, yeah actually…I met her while I was dealing with the whole mess in Zephilia and we kinda got caught up in each other's mess and… well, we've been traveling with each other ever since… _The redhead thought back somewhat evasively, struggling with everything she had to not have any 'unwanted' thoughts or images projected to the at times uncannily shrewd shrine maiden. _You'll get a chance to meet her soon enough. _She added hurriedly with a mental laugh that she hoped didn't feel too nervous to close the subject to any further inquires at this point.

The raven haired girl hesitated a moment, catching an emotion from the sorceress that was too fleeting for her to quite put her finger on although it had felt somehow familiar to her, before answering back once more. …_Alright Miss Lina, we'll make preparations and head out to meet you straight away then…_

_Ok Sylphiel, we'll see you and Gourry sometime tomorrow then._

_Yes, if we leave within the hour, we should make it to Stock Town sometime just before the sun begins to set…_

_Sounds like we've got a date then!_

_And Lina…?_

_Yeah, Sylphiel?_

…_Just…just try and be careful until then ok?_

…_Yeah, and you two do the same._


	49. Chapter 49

The sun had just begun to set, casting an orangish-gold hue on the surrounding landscape as the two girls walked in silence along a dirt path with Stock Town just recently becoming visible on the horizon.

Katibree reached into a travel pouch, producing a flask of wine, opening it and taking a pull from it before glancing over at the uncannily quiet redhead walking beside her.

"…Alright, so what do you want to do?" She finally asked while offering Lina a drink.

The sorceress blinked in surprise, having been snapped out of her thoughts before looking first over at the ex-assassin and then down to the flask being offered to her. "What do you mean?" She asked distractedly as she took the container from the older girl before taking a not so small pull of her own from it.

"Oh come on, Red." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied.

"What..?" The sorcery genius reiterated before taking another not so small drink from the flask.

"You haven't said a thing for like 45 minutes now, which is completely and totally unheard of… so the only plausible conclusion would be…" The half elf began while changing her facial expression to a dour, humorless one as she began to talk in a tone reserved for a professor dryly lecturing a class and causing Lina to lower her eyelids in anticipation of the punch line.

"That right now, in order for the subject known as Lina Inverse to figure out an especially complicated problem that she is pondering… her brain has temporarily tapped into the energy reserves normally used to keep her mouth running incessantly, thus preventing her from speaking." She finished before dodging a half hearted kick aimed at her ass and breaking into a good-natured grin.

"Very funny, Kat." The redhead said with a quiet laugh.

"Seriously, you even talk in your **sleep**… and the fact that you're drinking, which you hardly ever do just further proves my point." Katibree said more somberly.

"It's… It's not that big of a deal." The sorceress replied while attempting to hand the larger girl back her flask.

The ex-assassin stopped walking all together at this before dropping the travel pack she'd been carrying to get the younger girl's attention and folding her arms while standing in the middle of the path. "Look Red, I'm pretty sure that I already have a good idea about what it is that's been bothering you; and as close as we are to town now, I sure you've already come up with some type of idea as to how you'd prefer to deal with this so - -"

"I already told you, it's not that big of a…" Lina began but trailed off with a conflicted sigh once she turned and saw the older girl's expression. "…Honestly I'm **still** not sure how I want to handle this, ok babe?"

"Sure you are, you're just worried about how I might take it right?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked quietly. "I'd be fine regardless of the decision you came to Red; they're your friends, not mine."

The redhead looked up at the gradually darkening sky while rustling her mane in frustration at this. "It's not **that**… well I guess that **was** some of it…" She finally admitted with some embarrassment.

The half drow couldn't help but chuckle at this while picking the travel pack back up and hefting it over her shoulder as the two began to walk once more.

"But the main reason that I was really debating on whether or not to say anything about us is…" The sorcery genius continued before trailing off again as worry clouded over her ruby colored gaze once more.

"…Because you're not sure how Gabriev will react to the news." Katibree finished for her.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like I'm ashamed of us or anything… It's just that I've played out telling him in my head over and over again, and even as well as I know him… what his reaction would be to finding out that you and I are seeing each other is just one big blank…" Lina explained while still camping the flask of wine that the larger girl had refused to take back earlier.

"I was in no way suggesting that you were ashamed of our relationship… but you can't stand there and tell me that you were exactly eager to deal with Nels Rada's endless stream of questions about the subject either." Katibree teased.

"…I really can't refute you on that one, Kat." The redhead finally agreed with a giggle.

"Well then, I suppose that brings my point total up to 4, which leaves your 2 points even further in the dust for today…" The ex-assassin sighed while shaking her head with feigned sorrow.

"**Hey**, you can't use serious subjects like **that** to base 'I wins' off of..!" The sorceress complained as they made their way toward the outskirts of town.

"Please, you're just mad you didn't think of it **yourself**." The half drow said with a laugh while flipping the hood to her black cloak up and over her head.

"Even if that **were** the case I wouldn't admit it, you're out for **blood** today..." Lina replied while tossing the larger girl her flask back with a smirk as they made it to the market place and headed into the steadily thickening crowd of shoppers.

"Yeah, well I've got to redeem myself **somehow** for all the wrestling matches I keep losing to you…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said wryly while recapping the mostly drained container of wine.

"It's not **my** fault you suck at wrestling…" The redhead baited with a dismissive gesture.

"Sucking and playing **fair** are two completely different things, lover." Katibree replied with a roll of her lavender colored eyes.

"Well now, I guess that makes us **even** in certain respects when it comes to doing what you have to do to win doesn't it…?" The sorceress asked before giving the older girl her trademark Lina Inverse wink.

_Ah…__**damn**__ it…_ The ex-assassin swore to herself, smacking her forehead in disbelief at having given her such an easy 'I win' right back as the sorcery genius leaned toward her while cupping a hand around her ear expectantly.

"…Touché." The half elf finally sighed in resignation.

"Oh… I'm sorry, did I just hear you say the score was actually 4 to _**3**_..?" Lina asked coyly.

"Ever the tactician…" The mostly platinum haired warrior could help but chuckle.

"You'd better believe it - - Hey, I think I see them, come on Kat…!" The redhead blurted excitedly before breaking into a jog and ducking and weaving in between various wandering town folk as she went.

"…Platonic 'friendship'… right." Katibree said quietly to herself before sighing deeply and quickening her walking pace in the direction that Lina had just taken off in.

"Hey **guys**!" The redhead shouted while jumping up and down and waving animatedly as soon as she got a clear view of the two walking together up ahead.

Both Gourry and Sylphiel turned at the distinct sound of the sorcery genius's voice, their faces brightening. "**Linaaa!"** / "Miss **Lina**!" They called back simultaneously while waving back happily.

"So, did ya miss me?" The redhead asked as she walked up to the two of them with a smile before jumping up to pull them down to roughly her height for a group hug once she got to them.

(G) "You bet!" the swordsman savant replied with a laugh.

The shrine maiden found herself at a momentary loss for words, taking a while to get over her shock that the smaller girl had just openly hugged her before finally returning the sorceresses heartfelt embrace with one of her own.

"M-Miss Lina, it certainly seems that you've gone through… some… changes since we've last seen you…" She said after breaking away from the hug to take a good look at the sorcery genius in bemusement. _She looks the same basically but… there's definitely something different about her…_

_Normally Miss Lina's show of affection would involve sending Gourry dear sailing with a Dil Brand and giving me a stout slap on the back…_

(L) "You really think so?" Lina asked while rubbing the back of her neck with a laugh.

(S) "Well yes actually… I've never once known you to - - **Oh**, is this person the new traveling companion that you were speaking of when we communicated before Miss Lina..?" The raven haired girl gratefully broke off her uneasy explanation to ask while gazing over the petite girl's shoulder to get a better look at the cloaked figured now standing behind her.

Lina glanced over her shoulder at this, an expression washing over her face that Sylphiel didn't quite recognize, before folding her arms and answering her question. "Yeah, that's her alright… Sylphiel, Gourry… meet Katibree."

(G) "Kati-bree huh…?" The swordsman savant mused while stepping forward and leaning toward her with a thoughtful hand placed on his chin.

(S) "It's… nice to meet you Miss Katibree." The shrine maiden said somewhat nervously while offering her hand in a gesture of greeting. _There's something about this woman that makes me uneasy…_She began to herself while taking note of the gear that the ex-assassin was wearing before promptly reprimanding herself afterwards for thinking such unsavory thoughts about a friend of Lina's.

(K) "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Miss Nels Rada." Katibree said cordially while leaning forward slightly to return the raven haired girl's gesture of greeting with a fluid handshake. "I've heard a great deal about you from Lina and an even greater deal about the Master Swordsman here..." She added pleasantly while turning her full attention to the swordsman savant.

(G) "Hi, good to meet ya!" Gourry said with his usual nonchalant enthusiasm while offering a hand of his own.

As the mostly platinum haired warrior took his hand and shook it, the swordsman savant's expression broke into a grin that Lina knew all to well. It was the same look that he always got, be it Zangulas or any other master swordsman he'd ever come across…

An anticipatory grin fueled by the promise of great competition.

(L) _Oh Gods…I'd bet my life savings that Kat's got that same look on her face right now… _The redhead thought to herself with a resigned sigh. _Instant rivals no matter what the circumstances… Can't say I didn't see this one coming I guess…_ She added with a sweat-drop.

(S) "Gourry…dear…?" Sylphiel asked unsurely while looking first at one master swordsman and then the other.

(G) "I was pretty surprised that I didn't sense you show up when you did at first, but now I get why…" Gourry said as they finished shaking hands. "Allow me to formerly introduce myself…"

(L) "Uhm… heh, I'm pretty sure the proper word is '**formally'**, Gourry…" The redhead said while scratching the back of her head with an added sweat-drop.

(G) "My name is Gourry Gabriev from the great Kingdom of Elmekia, former wielder of Gorunova, the Sword of Light." The swordsman savant continued with a smirk while placing a hand on the hilt of his sword in a gesture of challenge.

The half elf flipped her hood back at this, flashing a grin of her own. "And I am Katibree Do'Urden of the former Ethereal Daggers; current wielder of the blades which dance as one, Chiba and Murakami… it's a pleasure to finally cross your path Gourry Gabriev of Elmekia." She replied while placing her own hands on the hilts of her weapons as well in acceptance of the challenge.

(S) "Oh my… Miss Lina…?" The shrine maiden asked while placing a hand over her heart in apprehension.

"I've got it Sylphiel…" Lina replied as she walked between the two of them, putting a hand on both of their chests and pushing in an attempt to force them apart while stifling a laugh as she felt the two battle auras began to radiate around her in a lightheartedly 'rough-housing' like test of strength.

"Ok **boys**, break it up!" She finally exclaimed after a moment more of neither of them giving an inch before punching both of them in the stomach simultaneously. "It's time ta go!"

A set of baby blue eyes widened in sync with an equally wide pair of lavender ones as both warriors grunted and doubled over in pain on either side of the sorcery genius who took this time to grab both of them by an arm and forcefully turn them in the direction of the inn that they had all planned to meet at.

"H-hey… what'd… we do Lina - -?" / "It's not like… we were going to spar right here or anything - -!" Both Gourry and Katibree began to complain as they gasped to get the wind back that had just been unceremoniously knocked out of them.

"I _**said**_ lets **go**." The redhead reiterated in that tone of voice of that both of them knew was just more trouble than it was worth to argue with as she basically dragged the two still wheezing swordsmen toward the inn with a decidedly lost Sylphiel blinked after them. "You coming or not Sylphiel…?" The sorcery genius teased with a glance over her shoulder at the dumbfounded shrine maiden. _Yup, still got it!_

Once the four of them entered the inn, the inevitable gravitation toward the eatery section of the establishment was made.

(S) "So what in the world was that all about back there…?" The raven haired girl couldn't help but ask as they all took their seats at a wooden round table.

(L) "Oh, that was just Kat and Gourry getting carried away with their 'warrior instincts'…" Lina replied while closing her eyes and waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

(G) "Yeah, I guess I did kinda get carried away…!' The swordsman savant laughed while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's always pretty exciting to come across a swordsman of your friend Katibree's caliber just by chance…" He added more thoughtfully.

(L) "Give me a break **Gourry**, '**kind of**' is the understatement of the **century** here..." The sorcery genius said while rolling her ruby colored eyes at him in exasperation before looking over at Katibree who was on the opposite side of her to finish what she was saying.

"It was blatantly **obvious** that you two were so wrapped up in the idea of finding out which one of you is more skilled with a blade right then an there, that there was no **way** that you were going to take the time to find somewhere **else** to fight." She finished while giving the mostly platinum haired warrior a you-should-know-better look, causing the older girl to avert her lavender gaze and shift in her chair uncomfortably.

(G) "Speaking of skilled swordsmen Lina, you were really impressive back there…" The blonde warrior said while slapping the sorceress on the shoulder guard in congratulations.

(K) "Gabriev does have a good point…" The ex-assassin agreed with a smirk.

"What are you two… talking about…?" Lina asked after recovering from the unexpected assault on her shoulder. "I didn't even fight."

(G) "Well neither did we, but you could sense that we mine as well have been couldn't you…?" Gourry asked. "And even with being able to feel our battle auras, you stepped in between the two of us with no effort at all."

(K) "All the while interjecting with a pretty noticeable one of your own mind you…" The mostly platinum haired warrior added matter of factly while gesturing to a nearby waiter for menus.

(G) "Yeah, I can tell that you've done some serious training in the swordsmanship department since you've been gone just from that alone!" The swordsman savant agreed happily.

(S) "Speaking of your sudden leave of absence for all these months Miss Lina…" Sylphiel began quietly. "What happened after you made it to Zephilia and had the audience with The Eternal Queen and The Cepheid Knight?"

"That's a **really** long story Sylphiel…" The redhead said before taking a sip of water.

(S) "I suppose it would be… there have been rumors floating around that there was an assassination or something of that nature that had taken place on the Zephilian castle grounds putting the entire kingdom in an uproar…" The raven haired girl leaned across the table and said in barely a whisper. "Is any of that true Miss Lina?"

"…Close enough yeah, and I was the one put in charge of the investigation." The sorceress affirmed quietly after a moments hesitation.

"Oh dear, I was afraid that was the case and that you'd been thrown right in the middle of it all…" Sylphiel replied as the waiter came by and handed out menus to them all. "So if that's the case… did you meet Miss Katibree because she was assigned to help you with the investigation?"

Lina spit out the water she'd just been drinking as Katibree sweat-dropped and gained an unprecedented interest in the menu that she'd just been handed at this question.

(G) "Not likely Sylphiel…" Gourry interjected lightly while browsing his own menu. "I recognized the place that Katibree said that she's from, and it's not a city or anything… it's a famous guild that prided itself on the combat prowess of it's members." He continued almost absently. "It'd be my guess that it was actually something that Katibree had done that Lina was called to Zerphermia to investigate, but somehow they ended up joining forces instead…"

The half elf raised a quizzical mostly platinum colored eyebrow at this unusually brilliant deduction and then looked over at Lina in bemusement in the middle of giving the waiter her order. _Maybe he's not as dense as Red made him out to be. _

"Hawh - -!" The redhead exclaimed in disbelief while jumping up from the table, causing it to jerk, knocking her glass of water to the floor which the waiter scrambled to clean up after his heart had returned to it's proper place in his chest. "And just how in the **hell** does a jellyfish brains like you that can **barely** remember his own **name**, let alone properly pronounce the name of my **home **_**town**_ on a regular basis goand**figure**out**something**like_**that**_??!"

(G) "Relax Lina…!" The blonde warrior laughed. "I might not be the smartest guy in the world, but stuff like that has just always been easy for me to remember; so I guess I just put 2 and 2 together after hearing what was just said…"

The sorceress was sorely tempted to ask the swordsman savant if he even knew what 2 and 2 actually equaled but decided against it. _There are definitely more important things that need to be discussed right now… _"Anyway it's just like you said Gourry, and that's the reason that I needed to meet up with you and Sylphiel as soon as possible in order to discuss some things." She began grimly as she sat back down.

(G) "Hum…?"

(S) _This sounds serious…_

"You remember the monster Soshurn don't you Gourry…?" Lina inquired.

The swordsman savant thought long and hard for a good moment before finally setting his face with a serious expression and looked the redhead dead in the eyes before answering.

"…Not at all." He finally answered to face-faults all around.

"We **fought** him right before I was summonsed to Zephilia you **dolt**, I **thought** you just **said** you've always been good at **remembering** things that involved _**combat**_…!" The redhead managed as she pulled herself back up to her chair from the floor of the restaurant.

(S) "Miss Lina please calm down, we all know that Gourry dear has a tendency to forget things…" The shrine maiden said from her new seating arrangements on the eatery floor while sweat-dropping.

(K) _Maybe he's even __**more**__ dense than Red made him out to be… _Katibree thought to herself in bemusement as she made her own way back to an upright position.

(G) "We fought with some guy named Soshurn…?" The blonde warrior mused more to himself than anyone else while scratching his head. "Was he a master swordsman or something too Lina?" _Definitely would think I'd remember someone like that, it's not like you come across those everyday - -_

"_**NO**_ you **idiot** I _**just**_ said he's a…!" Lina began in exasperation before catching an amused look from Katibree out of the corner of her eye followed by a shrug that basically said: Just let it go Red… "Ok, ok… never mind." She finally said after sucking in and slowly letting out a deep breath.

"Soshurn is a fairly powerful Mazoku that we've fought in the past that has for some reason renewed his grudge against me with a vengeance." The redhead tried to explain once more as the waiter made his way over to the table with a cart piled with a countless variety of foods on it. "He originally tried to hire Kat here to kill me, but when she refused she made an enemy of him as well…" She continued while eyeing the cart being wheeled over along with the no longer listening swordsman savant.

"Soshurn on his own is easy enough to take care of, but it seems that he's part of some alliance of other higher end monsters that he has at his disposal to do his bidding now…" The sorceress continued as plate after plate of food was placed on the table before them.

(S) "Miss Lina, that's horrible…" Sylphiel said attentively.

(G) "Oh boy, _**food**_!" Gourry exclaimed, tossing the apparently unneeded menu aside and replacing it with a fork and knife.

(K) "Would you mind bringing a few of tankards of mead over as well please…?" Katibree inquired of the waiter.

"So with all of that on our plates, we've been traveling as secretly as possible and just wanted to make sure that Soshurn and the others hadn't decided to start attacking you guys or the rest of the gang in order to flush me out…" The sorcery genius explained as the last of the plates where piled on the table and Gourry began to dig in with gusto.

(S) "It sounds like you two are going to need some serious backup for this, Lina." The shrine maiden said grimly.

"That's the second reason that we wanted to meet with you two and talk." Lina said pointedly before absently Mono Volting the swordsman savant reaching for the plate in front of her much to a certain half drow's further amusement.

"Arrrrrrrrgghhhh!" he exclaimed before toppling backwards in his chair.

"You know that Gourry dear and I will always be happy to help in anyway that we can Miss Lina." The raven haired girl pledged dutifully.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." The redhead said quietly before picking up a fork and knife of her own.

Sylphiel balked at this as Gourry pulled himself up from the table blinking some of the soot off of his face at the sorcery genius in disbelief. "What did you just say…?" He asked in amazement.

(S) "Are you… are you feeling well Miss Lina…?" Sylphiel couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, I feel fine… why…?" Lina replied in confusion, completely missing the point.

"Well, you just said thank you and…" The shrine maiden began before trailing off.

(G) "That's what I **thought** she said, when'd **you** learn manners Lina??" Gourry exclaimed before jumping to his feet and pointing dramatically. "I've **figured** it out Sylphiel…!" "This **isn't** the **real** Lina Inverse… she's an **imposter**!"

"Oh, that's **terrible**…" Sylphiel couldn't help but to play along. "I absolutely **must** insist that you tell us what you've done with the **real** Lina or you'll be sorry…" She added while stifling a giggle.

Lina stress-marked and gritted her teeth as she replied to this. "Oh ha, ha, ha… **very** funny, and apparently you want some of this **too** Sylphiel…" She added menacingly while rolling up an imaginary sleeve on her sorceresses outfit.

"Miss Lina we were only having some fun really!" The shrine maiden said hurriedly while holding her hands out in a pleading gesture while beginning to look a bit blue in the face. _Dear Cepheid what was I thinking…?_

The redhead was already seething, but up until this point she'd managed to keep her temper far enough in check to keep from destroying a portion of the eatery.

But that was only until she'd heard one last thing. The quiet but unmistakable laughter of her girlfriend at her expense…

_**OH **__**that's **__**IT**__…! _The sorceress exclaimed to herself while flushing in ultimate embarrassment. "**DIL**…!"

(G) "Huh… maybe she really **is** the real Lina after all…" Gourry said with a smile.

(S) "Gourry dear, what are you _**saying**_…?" Sylphiel balked in horror. _Isn't she mad __**enough**_

"_**BRAAAAAND**_!!!"

… Several minutes later after the gang was not so politely asked to leave the eatery not to mention the rest of the inn after paying for damages, the 4 had made their way to Lina's second pick of a place to stay the night in town.

(L) "Well here we are, it's not as great of a deal to stay here… but what are ya gonna do…?" Lina said with a giggle as they stood outside of the place.

(S) "I suppose it is about time that we got some rooms for the night…" A still fairly soot covered Sylphiel mused. "It is getting pretty late…"

As the group began to walk in the direction to the entrance of the inn, Gourry suddenly spoke.

"Hey Katibree… would you mind if I talked to you alone a moment…?" He asked with a serious expression on his face.

(L) _That doesn't sound very good… _The redhead thought to herself while glancing over at Katibree uneasily.

(S) "Is… something the matter Gourry dear..?" The shrine maiden asked worriedly.

(K) "I'm sure that everything's fine, you guys go ahead and we'll catch up with you in a bit." Katibree reassured them with a nonchalant shrug.

(L) "…Alright… but remember no sparring…" The sorceress said after a moment of scrutinizing the expression of the swordsman savant face to no avail. "If you two take too long, expect to pay for your own rooms!" She added as an after thought before turning away once more and heading to the entrance of the inn with Sylphiel.

(S) "So what do you think they're talking about out there…?" Sylphiel asked as they made their way to the check-in desk of the inn. "Dear Gourry looked unusually serious when he asked to talk to Miss Katibree in private just now…"

_You think I didn't notice that…? _"How should I know what he wants to talk to her about…?" Lina replied with feigned disinterest while slapping some coin down on the counter. "Probably some secret musty ol' swordsmanship technique or something…"

"I suppose you're right…" The raven haired girl said quietly.

"I'm sure it's something like that…" The redhead affirmed before turning her attention to the portly inn keeper. "I'd like 3 rooms please!"

"Uhm.. Miss Lina…?" The shrine maiden asked uncertainly.

"What is it Sylphiel…?" The sorceress inquired.

"Well… it's just that there are 4 of us and you only asked for 3 rooms… If you're low on coin then I don't have a problem with - -"

Lina began turning an interesting shade of crimson at this before breaking into nervous laughter. "N-no Sylphiel I've got it, I'm not sure…I'm not sure what I was thinking…!" She stammered while rummaging in her coin purse unsteadily for the fee for the extra room unsteadily. _Smooth move Lina…jeez! _

Meanwhile outside of the inn…

(K) "So what's up Gabriev…?" Katibree asked while folding her arms. "I'm all ears."

Gourry looked up at the moon a moment as if in deep thought before finally speaking. "Well, I know that it isn't any of my business…" He began while running his fingers through his blonde locks with a sigh.

"But it's been kinda eating at me since I first met you and well… I've just gotta know…" He continued while finally turning his gaze away from the moon to look at her, blue eyes meeting and locking with lavender ones.

(K) "I'm… still listening Gabriev." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied quietly but steadily, the expression on her face unreadable.

"I was just wondering if… well is it was possible that maybe…" He said before trailing off to steel himself before trying to ask the question once more."

"I know that if it's the case… it's supposed to be a secret…" He finally managed to continue. "But I still have to at least ask… Is it possible that maybe…"

"Could you be… could you be Zelgadis' sister…?" He finished sheepishly as Katibree face-faulted for the second time that evening.

"I mean, I know that Zelgadis has always claimed to have no siblings so it must be some really **huge** secret if you really **are** his sister, but I was really curious - -"

"G-Greyword's **sister**??" The ex-assassin finally exclaimed in disbelief from her sudden position on the ground. "What in **L-sama's** name would give you the idea that I'd be **Greyword's** _**sister**_??!"

"W-well… I mean you've both got blue skin, and you've kind of got the same ears so…" The blond warrior laughed while rubbing the back of his neck.

"I believe that was the most ridiculously random shit that I have ever **heard** Gabriev…"

"Heh, heh… Oh, so you're **not** Zel's sister then?"

"Of **course** _**not**_…!" "Let's just get inside already…"


	50. Chapter 50

(Much later on that same night at the Inn)

Lina and Katibree awoke with a start as a massive explosion rocked the very foundations of the inn, causing one window after another down the line of the establishment to blow out in succession as the two girls leapt from the bed to see what was going on.

(L) "What in the four **hells** was _**that**_??" The redhead exclaimed while running to and peering out the now glassless window with the ex-assassin beside her as people began to scream and the sound of footsteps running to and fro could now be heard clearly throughout the building.

"From what I can tell from here, that was the sound of the room you were **supposed** to be staying in tonight going up in **flames**." The half drow replied while hurriedly putting on her gear as smoke began to billow into the night and panicked people began streaming out of the inn.

"My **room** - - awww that's just _**great**_, **most** of my **stuff** was in there!" The sorcery genius fumed.

"Check the pack in here, I'm pretty sure the merc outfit's still in it…" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while jumping onto the windowsill in a crouch and scanning the area for anyone that looked suspicious.

"That's fine and dandy, but every **other** piece of my gear is in the room that's currently on **fire**…" Lina replied while flinging off her nightgown before tearing into the travel sack that the half elf had indicated.

"The blades and your talismans should stand up to the heat just fine at least…" Katibree began before trailing off as she squinted through the smoke and caught a glimpse of a decidedly inhuman looking silhouette hovering about in the distance. "And it might be a good idea for you to cool that room off and go get them before you show up… She added while giving the redhead a meaningful look.

"Soshurn's making his move huh?" The younger girl deducted while zipping up her leather vest.

"I think so yeah… I'm going on ahead." The ex-assassin replied before jumping out the window and onto a nearby ledge.

"Fine, but try and leave some for me already!" The sorceress called after the larger girl before griping and tightening a forearm guard strap with her teeth.

(?) "That was a pretty nice shot there Zifolis!" A black wraith like Mazoku said to a much larger metallic looking one in glee as they made their way through the billowing black smoke and into what remained of Lina's inn room.

"Keep your voice **down** Rahtarimu, we still haven't found the body yet…" The metallic looking creature snapped while scanning the still smoldering debris suspiciously.

"There's no **way** that little witch could have survived a surprise attack like that in her sleep, she still only human after all…" The wispy creature replied haughtily. "We should just go and deal with the half elf as well and kill two birds with one stone."

"Serpent Master's orders were to dispose of Lina Inverse and by any means necessary and then return to base!" Zifolis snarled in annoyance. "And incase you hadn't noticed, two more of sorceress's companions are staying here as well so we don't have much time - -"

(G) "I'd say your time's just about **up**!" Gourry interrupted while stepping into view through the smoky doorway leading to the hall before brandishing his sword and taking a combat stance with a confident smirk.

(Ra) "Gourry Gabriev… rumor has it you've lost your precious sword of light, so tell me…" The wispy creature taunted while floating closer to the swordsman savant. "Just how do you expect to defeat 2 honest to goodness **Monsters** with a worthless little trinket like **that**…?"

The blonde swordsman lowered his 'trinket' and began laughing at this. "Oh that's easy!" He replied good-naturedly. "Like this…!" He said while taking a knee and revealing the shrine maiden standing behind him. "Go for it Sylphiel!"

(S) "**Right… **Ra… _**TILT**_!" She exclaimed sending a blast of white and blue energy directly into the creature's face.

(Zi) "Rahtarimu you **idiot**…!" The metallic looking creature shouted as his wraith like partner howled miserably and faded from sight before turning and sending a volley of spikes at the offending shrine maiden.

(G) "Now that's **my** cue." Gourry said while standing to cover Sylphiel once more and easily deflecting the countless flying spikes bearing down on them with a blinding flurry of parries before charging the Mazoku.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" The swordsman savant shouted while jumping up in the air and coming down with a diagonal slash across the mazoku's body…. with no affect. "Huh…?" "Oh yeah… I forgot…" He said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck as the metallic looking creature glowered at him. "Heh, eh… heh, heh… what do ya say we just call it even - -WHOA!" He exclaimed while barely dodging an angry bolt of energy before taking off running comedicly.

Katibree showed up just in time to see the blonde swordsman in the midst of his theatrics, evading volley after volley of energy blasts while running for his life in true Gourry fashion.

"You're hopeless, Gabriev…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said under her breath while making a quick sweep of the area with her luminous gaze and spotting Sylphiel making her careful way out of the ruble of the ruined room, apparently out of harms way for the moment.

(K) _But then again, appearances can always be deceiving. _The half elf thought to herself as her hyper sensitive ears picked up the now all too familiar sound of tearing as a rip in mid air began opening behind an unaware Sylphiel.

(Ra) "You know, that little stunt you pulled on me back there really **hurt**…" Rahtarimu hissed as he stepped out of the astral plane, causing the shrine maiden to spin around at the sound of his voice with a gasp. "How a weak little white mage like **you** ever managed to learn a spell like **that** is beyond me…" He continued while a ball of green energy began to radiate from his mouth as he widened it in preparation to fire. "But that's no matter, now do me a favor and - -"

(K) "Die." Katibree completed for the creature while coming up behind him and severing his head with both blades, leaving a red crosshatch afterimage. "Cowardly little shit…" She added in disdain while turning to get another fix on Gourry's current whereabouts.

(S) "Oh, you mustn't use such language Miss Katibree…it's just asking to be cursed by the Gods…" Sylphiel balked while covering a hand with her mouth in maidenly shock.

"Give it a rest Nels Rada, Red's been barking up that tree since the day we met…" The half drow replied with a smirk. "How many more are there…?" She added as she finally spotted the swordsman savant still battling with his Mazoku adversary a few rooftops over through the smoke.

"Just the one that Gourry dear is fighting from what I've seen…" The raven haired girl replied. "And speaking of Gourry dear, he no longer has the sword of light - -"

"Yeah, I've got him covered there." The half elf said before jettisoning herself off of a wall and up to the roof.

"Miss Katibree…?" The shrine maiden called after her.

"Nels Rada…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior glanced back to ask.

"Thanks for before." She said with a smile. _Regardless of her past, Miss Katibree really __**is**__ a good person._

"Fight now, pleasantries later Nels Rada…!" The ex-assassin called back while already bounding to the next rooftop and sprinting in the direction of the ongoing skirmish.

_Well… I suppose she does have some edges that could use smoothing… _The raven haired girl added to herself with a small laugh and sweat-drop while Ray Winging from the ruined room.

As Katibree finally closed in on the fight from behind, Zifolis managed to hit Gourry with an energy blast to his chest plate with enough force to dislodge his sword from his grasp and send him flying backwards, toppling toward the edge of the rooftop end over end.

The half drow dove for the 2 handed sword, catching it hilt first just as it was about to go over the side of the roof and rolled to her feet while charging it, cracking a little smile as it began to glow an angry red. _Looks like it's holding the charge just fine, you are __**indeed**__ a genius lover… _She thought to herself wryly while giving the blade a quick once over.

The blonde swordsman slid to a stop at the edge of the roof just before going over himself with a grimace while Zifolis walked toward him deliberately with a viciously vindictive grin that sported several sharp metallic looking teeth. "You're certainly good at running away Gourry Gabriev, but this is where it ends." He taunted as he closed the distance between himself and the blonde swordsman.

(G) "I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Gourry said with a smile of his own as he gestured for the metallic looking creature to look behind him.

(Zi) "What nonsense - -" Zifolis began to sneer.

(K) "Hey **ass**-tral pirate, heads up!" The mostly platinum haired warrior called while flipping the now charged sword around to hold it like a javelin before chucking it blade first at the Mazoku as he spun around in dismay, barely phasing out and reappearing in time to avoid the attack.

(Zi) "It's pretty moronic to warn your enemy before you attempt to strike the killing blow isn't it?" Zifolis asked before beginning to laugh mockingly as Gourry reached up and caught the sword that the creature had just phased to avoid hilt first and flipped to his feet with a grin behind him.

(K) "Considering what I used to do for a living…I'll give you that, but only if the attack was actually **meant** to be the killing blow." Katibree replied coyly as the creature's black eyes widened in realization of his error as he was split from head to toe by Gourry from behind.

(K) "That was… pretty unsportsmanlike like there, Gabriev." The half elf teased.

(G) "Hey, he just said himself that it was stupid to warn someone before you strike the finishing blow didn't he?" "And besides, the warning you gave him before had to have counted for **something**!" The swordsman savant joked back.

(Zi) "Jest while you can…" Zifolis growled while crumpling to his knees in agony. "But the Mazoku race… always has a backup plan!" "**Do** it Filzinia…burn this town to a **crisp**!!" He roared at the sky before his form lost all stability and he disintegrated into black fumes, laughing even as he died.

(G) "Filzininina… who's that…?" Gourry asked.

"I'm assuming he means the monster way up there." Katibree said while pointing at a barely visible growing orb in the sky directly above them.

"No way we can get to that…" The swordsman savant mused.

"Yeah, I'm thinking our star player's pretty sick of watching from the sidelines by now anyway though…" The ex-assassin said wistfully.

"I'm betting you're right!" The blonde warrior laughed.

Having been given the signal, Filzinia prepared to release the devastating blast of unholy energy that she'd been building to wipe the town from existence from hundreds of feet above the settlement.

However, just as she was about to expel the assault, an unexpected flash of red and while light from behind her caught her attention…

"What in the name of Ruby Eye…?" Was all that escaped her lips before she turned to look and found herself on the receiving end of her dear father's own spell and met with oblivion as well.

Sylphiel, Gourry, and Katibree shielded their eyes and braced themselves as the night sky lit up and the aftermath of the Dragon Slaves aerial explosion sent a shockwave through the town as the residents now crowding the streets, watched the display with mixed reactions of horror and amazement.

As soon as the sky darkened once more, the 3 made their respective ways to the general area that the unofficial beacon had come from and found the owner of that signal lounging on the shoulder of a towering maiden sculpture pouring water into the middle of a fountain.

(G) "Hey, there's our star player now!" Gourry said cheerfully as they all made it to the fountain.

(L) "You know it!" Lina said while flying down from the statue with a giggle.

"Thank goodness you're alright Miss Lina, after we found out that the attack had been on your room we…" Sylphiel began before trailing off and merely staring at the redhead's gear with an unreadable expression on her face.

(G) "What's wrong Sylphiel…?" The swordsman savant asked before taking a double take at the sorceress and beginning to gape. "**Lina**… w-what kinda sorceress's outfit is _**that**_??" He stammered.

The half elf merely took a seat at the edge of the fountain while doing her best to act 'natural'… whatever the hell that meant. _Beanpole… __**HA...! **_She couldn't help but scoff mentally.

(L) "Actually… this is a disguise I bought while Kat and I were on the road." The sorcery genius replied while taking her own seat on the edge of the fountain.

(S) "…Well it… it certainly makes you look very… **mature** Miss Lina…" The shrine maiden finally managed with a slight blush.

(G) "I can believe that you bought the **disguise** easily enough…" Gourry said while closing the distance between himself and the redhead. "But… did you buy **those** _**too**_…?" He added in disbelief while blatantly staring down her newly discovered cleavage.

(S) "Oh, Gourry dear…" The raven haired girl said with a wince in anticipation of one violent sort of explosion or another.

(L) "Nope Gourry, it took me a while to even realize it myself… but they've actually been there for quite some time." Lina replied serenely while looking up at the sky with an odd expression on her face. "Anyway, if you two are done gawking… we've really got some more things to discuss after what just went on tonight.

(G) "Uh, right!" Gourry said distractedly while sitting down on the ground in front of the sorceress.

(S) _She didn't blow her top about what Gourry dear just said at all…? _Sylphiel thought to herself in disbelief. _Maybe that's what's different about Miss Lina, she certainly is allot mellower that usual… especially when it comes to subjects like __**that**_

(L) "You with me there Sylphiel…?" The sorcery genius asked, noticing the far off look in the shrine maiden's eyes.

"Oh, r-right." Sylphiel finally replied her voice echoing much of the same distractedness the blond warrior's before her just had. _And speaking of the attack tonight…Miss Lina __**couldn't**__ have been in her room and gotten out of that explosion completely unscathed could she have? _

(L) "So first things first, it's obvious that Soshurn and his crew are hot on our trail now…" The redhead began. "His lackeys even had enough information to not only find out what town we were headed to, but specifically which inn we stayed in and which room to ambush to try and get me out of the picture."

(S) _And even if she __**had**__ managed that, other than her talismans and the weapons that she's wearing… I don't see a bit of fire damage…_Sylphiel continued to muse perplexly.

(K) "Well, I can't necessarily say that I'm impressed with Soshurn's henchmen as far as information gathering goes…" Katibree began while lounging lengthwise on thefountain's ledge, the still fairly unfamiliar sound of her velvety voice snapping both Gourry and Sylphiel out of their individual thoughts.

"You **are** famous Lina, and that makes Gabriev and Nels Rada here famous by association." "That **alone** makes it easy enough to track our movements just by word of mouth on this side of the barrier as it is even **without** the lot of us moseying into town and taking out half a restaurant with a huge explosion not even 45 minutes later.

(L) "Eh heh… point taken…" Lina said somewhat sheepishly.

(S) "Well…then I take it that there **is** something that you were 'impressed' with about the henchmen Miss Katibree?" Sylphiel asked.

"I think the word 'concerned' would probably fit better." The ex-assassin replied with a sigh. "Because I was certainly impressed with the **quality** of the lackeys that were sent to try and assassinate Lina."

(L) "…That's **right**, normally henchmen are sent out to do dangerous dirty work because whether they succeed or not, they're easily replaceable..." The redhead mused.

(S) "And those three that we fought just now were all full fledged Mazoku, at least one of them strong enough to withstand a Ra Tilt and live…" The shine maiden continued for her.

(K) "Which means that although Soshurn will most likely be annoyed that he's lost them; Filzinia and the other two were probably among the weakest that we'll have to face from here on out." The mostly platinum haired warrior finished for the raven haired girl matter of factly.

(G) "Yeah and on top of that, one of the monsters that blew up Lina's room knew that I'd lost the sword of light before even fighting me. Gourry added somewhat dejectedly.

(S) "And he also knew that I specialize in primarily white magic, so this Soshurn has definitely done his homework on us." Sylphiel tacked on quietly.

Lina got up and began pacing back and forth at this last comment. "And if he and his lackeys already know that much about you two, chances are research has been done on the rest of the gang as well…" _Which gives him that many more targets to try and use as leverage against me should he choose to… _She continued to herself in frustration.

(G) "So what do you want to do next Lina?" Gourry asked while resting his sword, sheath and all on his neck and hanging an arm over either side of it.

"Well, the only logical thing that I can really think for us to do is head to Seyruun…" The sorcery genius mused while scratching her head as she brainstormed. _Amelia's by far the easiest out of all of us to track down at any given time, although she'd also be the hardest for a Monster to get to at this point…_

(S) "The Holy Kingdom?" The shrine maiden asked worriedly. "Should we really get Miss Amelia involved in this whole thing when she already has the weight of training to become the possible next successor to the throne of Seyruun on her shoulders?"

"I'd definitely rather not Sylphiel, but whether she gets involved in this or not really isn't up to just me anymore…" Lina explained conflictedly. "Even if I decide to try and leave her out of it, Soshurn may have other ideas and she'll just get dragged into this whole mess anyway."

"The Holy Circle radiating from the capital does weaken Mazoku, but it doesn't repel them completely… we know that from the assassination scare that we had with Phil a few years back."

"And it's not like I can just… send her a message that warns her to beef up security or something..." The redhead continued. "She'd just insist on leaving to find out what's wrong in the name of 'justice' and Phil would just let her go on her merry way." _Although it's not like he could actually stop her even if he tried… _She added to herself wryly.

"Anyway, I honestly think that the best thing to do would be to go there and fill her and Phil in on the situation in person so we'll have time to cover all of the bases." The sorceress finally finished with a rustle of her crimson colored mane.

(K) "Well it sounds like it's settled then; we head for The Holy Kingdom of Seyruun." Katibree said while hopping up from the ledge of the fountain. "So now the only pending question is… what to do for the rest of the night?"

(S) "That's right… I don't think that any local Inn owners will exactly jump at the chance to rent more rooms out to us after what has already happened tonight and earlier today." The raven haired girl agreed somewhat sheepishly.

(L) "All things considered, we've already stated that we're concerned about the potential strength of the enemy…" Lina said quietly. "So going incognito again is probably going to be our best bet until we can work out some sounder battle tactics for fighting multiple monsters in close quarters, or at least until we can accumulate a few more allies to combat them more effectively." She continued as she began walking back in the direction of the impromptu battle site. "Anyway, stealth and subtly really aren't my strong points, Kat's better at that sort of thing... so I'll leave explaining that part of the plan to her."

"Excuse me Miss Lina but, where are you going…?" The shrine maiden called after her.

"Oh, I was trying to remember the exact incantation for that Reverse Time spell that I saw Rezo cast all those years ago, and I think I've got it now…" Lina called back nonchalantly. "I should still be within the time limit to try and invoke it and salvage some of my stuff from the room those two monsters just totaled."

(S) "I-I see…" Sylphiel stammered. _Miss Lina's powerful enough to invoke a spell like Reverse Time now?_ She thought to herself in amazement.

(G) "So you're explaining the rest of the plan while Lina goes to take care of something then Katibree?" The swordsman savant asked with an expectant look on his face.

"Well, the basic concept is to reverse our schedule so that we're traveling and completely on alert when we'd normally be most vulnerable to an enemy sneak attack and least expected to be traveling." The half elf explained. "While on the other hand, we'd be sleeping while rotating watches during the hours that we'd normally be expected to travel while only going to towns when it's absolutely unavoidable in the mean time."

(G) "So… traveling at night, and setting up camp and sleeping with someone on watch during the day then…?" The swordsman savant asked while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"That's the basic gist of it Gabriev, yes." The mostly platinum haired warrior affirmed.

(S) "I could definitely see someone having difficulties staying on our trail with a routine like that…" The shrine maiden said with a giggle. "It's a bit odd, but if you think it will help… then I don't mind giving it a try."

(G) "Yeah, that is a pretty crazy sounding schedule, but I think it might just work!" Gourry agreed with a laugh.

"You two sure are easy going, the first time I suggested this to Lina, she went on about me forcing a delicate maiden to disrupt her routine for hours…" The half elf said with a smirk.

Several minutes later, Lina made her way back to the trio with a travel sack slung over either shoulder. "So we all set then…?" She asked while shrugging the pack off of her right shoulder and tossing it to Katibree.

"I take it we're all checked out?" The ex-assassin asked while catching the travel sack with a grunt.

(G) "…….Probably as checked out as we're ever going to **get**…" The blonde warrior said while lowering his eyelids suspiciously at the now sweat-dropping sorcery genius.

"Miss **Lina**, how **could** you?" Sylphiel chided crossly.

"**Hey**, I paid for the collateral damage that I **actually** caused earlier today, and I **did** fix the room up **some** at least…" The redhead said while rubbing the back of her neck. _Granted I only fixed the parts that I was trying to salvage __**my **__**stuff**__ from…_She added to herself while stifling a giggle.

(K) "Why don't we continue this little moral debate on the road?" The mostly platinum haired warrior suggested while already heading in the direction of the town gates. "The further we get away from Stock Town before they start looking for us again at this point, the better."

(L) "Can't argue with you on that one…" Lina said with a stretch as she and the others began to walk as well.

(K) "I win, that's 6 to 5 Red." Katibree called back matter of factly.

"Past midnight V, start of a new day." The redhead called back coyly.

"Fine 1 to 0, I'm still ahead." The half elf replied.

"Yeah, we'll see how long that lead lasts…" The sorceress scoffed.

(S) "Do you have any idea what they're talking about, Gourry dear?" Sylphiel asked the blonde warrior.

"Not a clue." The swordsman savant answered with a chuckle as the two girls continued their verbal jousting back and forth.

As the lively crew first made it to the outskirts of town and then into the surrounding forest, a familiar figure sporting his trademark red gemmed staff phased into view, lounging on a distant clock tower as he watched them retreat into the brush.

_Well, that little tip off that I gave Soshurn's lackeys certainly proved to be entertaining! Unfortunately I'm still no closer to figuring out what exactly it is that they have in their possession that is keeping Lord Shabranigdo's essence from influencing our favorite half breed…_

_Huuummmm… her shrewdness really is becoming bothersome, spying on and manipulating the group was enough of a chore with just Lina on watch before, but now it's become nearly impossible to do. _The priest mused to himself before phasing out once more.

_Oh well, I suppose that I'll just have to change tactics._


	51. Chapter 51

(group banter on the road to Seyruun)

(L) "Zel's **sister**…?" Lina asked around the skin of water she'd been drinking from as the four of them sat around a fire pit waiting for Katibree to finish cooking a midnight snack, or in their case dinner as the sun would be rising in only a short few hours. "**That's** what you pulled Kat aside to ask her all serious like the other night, Gourry?" She added in disbelief.

(G) "Well yeah…" The blonde warrior said sheepishly, I just figured it was some big secret or something…"

(K) "Ridiculous…" The half drow scoffed while flipping a steak on the makeshift grill.

(S) "Doesn't Mr. Zelgadis say things like that all the time though?" Sylphiel asked with a giggle.

The redhead looked over at the ex-assassin at this last statement with a smirk. "Yeah, he does doesn't he…?" "Now that I'm really thinking about it, they really do kinda act the same at times…"

The mostly platinum haired warrior merely stress-marked and placed another steak on the grill silently at this.

(L) "They're both big softies at heart, but try and cover it up by acting all tough and mysterious, and on top of that… they both hate being noticed by allot of people so whenever they go into public they do that cute widdle 'hood flip' thingy to cover their faces…" The sorceress continued to muse while struggling to keep a straight face while the half drow seethed across from her. "Maybe they really are related!"

(G) "Big softies at heart huh, Lina?" Gourry asked with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah, Gourry… we already **know** that Zel's quite the talented musician and artist, but Kat here could definitely give him a run for his money." The sorcery genius replied wryly.

(S) "Oh I never knew that Miss Katibree and Mr. Zelgadis had such a sensitive side to them… if the two of them ever meet up, we should definitely have them sing a duet for us all!" The shrine maiden exclaimed while clasping her hands together happily.

Katibree gained another stress-mark and began to blush noticeably at this but still remained silent and tended to the steaks.

(G) "Yeah, a brother sister duet!" The swordsman savant agreed enthusiastically.

(L) "Come to think of it… don't the two of them even wear the same brand of cloak - -?"

(K) "**In** – _**verse**_…!" Katibree finally began through gritted teeth in a tone that the redhead knew all to well.

Lina tried to retain her composure, but that was just the last straw and she couldn't help herself any longer. _Gods, she hasn't called me that in __**forever**__… she's gotta be so mad - -_"Pff…ffft - -**Hawh**, hah, hah, ha, ha, _**haaa**_…!" She exploded unable to even complete her thought mentally before descending into an unchecked fit of laughter.

(K) "Keep it up and you'll find that your share of the steaks will be so badly burnt that even **Gabriev** wouldn't find them edible." The half elf said, barely stifling a chuckle of her own.

(G) "That's pretty burnt!" Gourry laughed.

(S) "Maybe you should stop antagonizing Miss Katibree now Miss Lina, didn't you tell me that Gourry dear even tried to eat a bomb once?" The raven haired girl added playfully.

_Whew, she's right about that one! _The redhead thought to herself as she stopped laughing abruptly with a sweat-drop."Aw come on Kat, you know I didn't mean anything by it!" She said hurriedly with a nervous little giggle.

"I don't know Lina… I think Nels Rada might have something there." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while in mock seriousness. "A little gun powder for seasoning just might give your steaks the kick they need…"

"Alright, aright, jeez…!" Lina finally said with a giggle. "Look guys, while it's fun enough to laugh about…the truth is, any similarities in their appearance are complete coincidences."

"Zelgadis originally started out as a regular human, he didn't even take on the appearance that he has now until Rezo changed him into a chimera." The redhead continued to explain somberly. "Katibree on the other hand, was born the way that she looks."

(G) "Sooo… Katibree was… born a chime-whatever then…?" The blonde warrior asked while holding his chin in deep thought.

(K) _Got to be fucking kidding __**me**__… _The ex-assassin deadpanned to herself while nearly face-faulting into the fire pit.

(L) "…**Hown** - - _**NO**_ you _**idiot**_, I've **told** you over and **over** again that she's a _**half**_ _**elf**_." The sorcery genius reiterated haggardly while slapping a hand to her forehead.

(S) "Chimera's can't be born Gourry dear, only made…" Sylphiel managed quietly through the hand she was covering her face with.

(G) "Ok, well if she's not a chime-whatever like Zelgadis is… then what's up with her hair?" The swordsman savant inquired. "It looks just as metallic as Zel's does."

"Oh that… her hair may look like it's fresh off the blacksmith's forge but it's actually…" Was all Lina managed before trailing off as Sylphiel made her way over to Katibree.

(S) "…As soft as silk!" The shrine maiden finished for the bemused redhead with a delighted little squeal while running her fingers through the mostly platinum mane with a girly giggle.

(L) "Uhm… what Sylphiel just said…yeah." The redhead said while watching the spectacle with a grin.

"Nels Rada…?" Katibree began stiffly.

"Yes Miss Katibree?" The raven haired girl asked cheerfully.

"Just **what** do you think you are doing…?" The ex-assassin asked while placing another batch of steaks on the grill with a fresh stress-mark on her forehead.

"Oh but your hair is so pretty and soft Miss Katibree, just let me brush it a little please?"

"Absolutely not, Nels Rada… now kindly **stop** that."

"Come now, don't be that way Miss Katibree, we're all friends here now right…?"

The sorcery genius giggled quietly at the two girl's antics a moment more before the sound of Gourry's voice drew her attention.

(G) "Hey Lina…?"

"Yeah Gourry?" Lina asked while glancing over at the swordsman savant inquisitively.

"Well, I recognize your short sword, it's the same one you've always used off and on over the years, but what's up with the scimitar strapped to the back of your belt?" The blonde warrior asked. "That's definitely a new addition."

"Oh that, well… it was kind of a gift actually." The redhead replied.

"Someone just **gave** a weapon of that quality away?" Gourry asked in disbelief.

"That 'someone' was Kat, and yeah… she gave it to me a while back when I first bought the mercenary outfit you and Sylphiel saw for the first time the other night." The sorceress explained. "She thought the addition of a second sword would make the getup look more authentic."

"Well yeah, that's why I didn't ask about it earlier really; I just figured it was part of your disguise, but then I got a better look at the weapon today once you'd taken your cape off." The blond warrior said. "So what purpose does it have when you're wearing your regular gear?"

"What do you mean?" The sorceress asked while trying her best at slight of hand for a steak that was already done while the ex-assassin was still preoccupied with a certain shrine maiden.

"It's a beautiful enough weapon, but it's not going to do you much good for looks strapped to the back of your belt, well at least not wearing something that has a cape anyway." The swordsman savant said with a shrug.

"What are you talking about Gourry, the position it's strapped at it the position I draw it from…" Lina replied distractedly, having almost reached her goal of snagging a delicious steak unnoticed and out of turn.

"So you use the scimitar instead now; then what's the short sword still there for Lina…?" Gourry asked perplexedly.

"No, Gourry I used them both at the - - _**OW**_!" The redhead began to explain before her hand was slapped painfully by a not as distracted as she'd hoped half drow.

(K) "They're almost done, hold your horses - -No Nels Rada, just put the brush away and stop looking at me like that already." The mostly platinum haired griped at first one sorceress and then the other on either side of her.

(G) "So you're trying to tell me that you've gotten good enough to dual wield now?" The blonde warrior laughed.

"Yeah I have, what's so hard to believe about **that**?" The sorcery genius asked defensively while still nursing her hand with a pout.

"No way…" The swordsman savant said with a dismissive gesture.

"_**Way**_." Lina shot back. "You wanna see if you're so smug after you're walking around with one of these blades turned sideways up your ass…?" She added sweetly.

"Let me see your weapon, that'll be proof enough." Gourry said with a smirk. "I've already got one challenge pending as it is!"

"…Yeah, whatever." The redhead replied after a short pause before reaching back and drawing the scimitar and giving it a quick flip to present it to the swordsman savant hilt first.

"Whoa, that's master worked for sure…" The blonde warrior marveled while holding the blade up to get a better look at the intricate designs forged into the blade of the weapon. "So Katibree has never used her before then…?"

"Well, no but she always kept it up even before she gave it to me." The sorceress replied while giving the blonde warrior a strange look. _Her…?_

"Yeah, I can tell… And you've been taking great care of her as well I can see." He replied before squinting as he spotted a tiny little symbol that represented a clan he didn't recognize inscribed into the guard of the weapon. _I wonder why Katibree rejected her own heirloom and just gave it away after taking care of it for so long…? _The swordsman savant wondered while twisting the blade back and forth to let the fading light of the stars and moon play along the length of it. _Well from the way Lina drew it just now, she at least normally uses it with her off hand... _The master swordsman continued to muse as his mind began to conjure a vision of the sorceress in action, basing how she defended and attacked with the weapon by studying the length, angle, and depth of the faint but telling and various scratches and scores on the surface of the newly tested weapon with a smile. _Lina must really be something else to watch in a swordfight now, especially with that new mercenary getup that she wears now…_He mused with a decidedly dreamy looking expression on his face.

"Uhm… Gourry…?" Lina began to ask unsurely. _What's that dopey look all about..?_

(K) "Hey, **Gabriev**." Katibree called a bit more forcefully than she'd intended to. "If you're done necking with the 'sword' over there, foods up." She added more quietly while averting her lavender colored gaze before it could be confronted with a questioning ruby colored one.

"Heh, heh… yeah, right…!" The swordsman savant laughed embarrassedly while handing the scimitar back to the redhead with a slight blush and reaching for a makeshift stone plate.

(L) _Was Gourry blushing just now, or was that just me…?And what exactly did Kat mean by 'necking' with the sword…?"_ The redhead wondered to herself. _I definitely missed __**something**__ here…_ "So what was that all about just now?" She finally asked as she reached for a plate of her own while looking first at one master swordsman and then the other.

(K) "…Let's just say you can tell allot about the owner of a weapon, as well as it's past owners just by looking at it if you're experienced enough." The ex-assassin replied before taking a bite of steak.

(L) "Ohhh… I get it, **prying** were we Gourry…?" Lina asked coyly.

"Well, maybe a little… but I stopped as soon as I realized what I was doing didn't I…?" The blond warrior said sheepishly.

(K) _"Yeah, more like after you were caught in the act…" _The half drow said under her breath while looking dead at the swordsman savant and moving a loose fist back and forth with a knowing smirk in a gesture that mirrored a certain act while neither sorceress was looking.

(L) "Did you just say something Kat…?" The sorcery genius asked as she and Sylphiel began to turn their attention back to the still crudely gesturing half elf.

(G) "**Uh**, she said: Well at least I had some **tact**!" The blonde warrior fabricated while blushing all the more profusely.

(L) _Ok, now I'm __**officially**__ lost. _The sorceress thought to herself while turning from Gourry's distraction back to Katibree with a 'yeah right' look on her face, just barely missing the crude gesture that had transform into an innocent scratch of the nose just before Lina turned around, but not before succeeding in nearly giving the blonde warrior a heart attack.

(S) "Gourry dear… are you feeling ok, you look very flushed…" Sylphiel began while setting down her plate worriedly.

"I'll fine Sylphiel, I'm just excited to hear what name Lina's going to give her weapon!" The swordsman savant laughed nervously.

(L) "What name I'm going to give it…?" The redhead asked somewhat absently while holding the scimitar up to the brightening sky herself and twisting it back and forth, mimicking what the blonde warrior had done earlier. _All I see are a few tiny scratches, I don't get it…_

"That's right, she's a good strong sword and now she's finally got a master to accept and wield her." Gourry said more somberly. "It's only right that she should finally get a name."

The sorceress gave the ex-assassin a questioning glance at this statement.

"I'm sure she's been itching to finally have one." The mostly platinum haired warrior affirmed with a small smirk.

"Alright… but I'm definitely not going to go with anything stuffy sounding like Chiba, Gorunova, or Murakami…" Lina mused while running her ruby colored gaze over the symbols and designs on the scimitar as the light of dawn breaking shimmered along the surface of it.

(K) _She actually remembered their names, I didn't even think she was paying attention…_The ex-assassin thought to herself while averting her eyes, the tips of her ears beginning to redden slightly.

"I think… I think I'll name her 'Twinkle'." The sorcery genius finally decided with a smile. "Yeah, Twinkle will work!"

(S) "I think that's very pretty Miss Lina." The shrine maiden cheerfully.

(K) "Twinkle huh…?" Katibree mused before finally breaking into a smile of her own. "I think that suits her."

(G) "Definitely!" Gourry agreed heartily. "And I'd say this is cause for a toast!" He added while rummaging around in a pack for toasting 'utensils'.

(K) "I second that!" The half drow agreed with a laugh.

(L) "With you two, anything's cause for a toast…" The redhead said with a roll of her eyes.

(S) "Uhm, Miss Katibree… don't you have first watch today?" Sylphiel asked before taking a dainty bite of steak.

"Yeah I do…but I can always cheat right?" The ex-assassin asked while giving Lina a coy glance.

(L) "You've gotta be kidding me Kat." The sorceress deadpanned.

"Come on, it's just one cheap spell before I start my watch." The half elf persisted while stifling a laugh.

"You want to get **drunk** and then have me De Cleary you right before **watch**." The sorcery genius deadpanned once more while lowering her eyelids.

(S) "That's very unhealthy Miss Katibree…" The shrine maiden chided from behind the redhead.

"Don't be that way **Red**, come on **pleeeeease**…?" Katibree asked while clasping her hands together cutely.

(L) _Jeez, cut it out with the cute act already…_Lina thought to herself with a blush. "Honestly Kat, sometimes you're like a big alcoholic kid."

(K) "Oh, get the spiced rum too Gabriev!" The half elf added over her shoulder to the blonde warrior.

(L) "Uhm, why are you acting like I've already said yes…?" The redhead asked while folding her arms.

(G) "Spiced Rum, right!" Gourry's muffled voiced affirmed from half way inside of one travel pack or another.

(K) "What, you want to bargain?" The ex-assassin laughed.

"Yeah, what's in it for me?" The younger girl said, switching over to a business-like tone.

"I'll be your best friend." The half elf offered with a smirk.

"No dice." Lina said with a giggle.

"I'll do your laundry for a week."

_You do that most of the time anyway… _"Not happenin'."

"Ok, I'll cook…. whatever you want for breakfast."

"Hummmmm………………………………… nope, no deal."

(S) "Oh dear, I think you're in trouble Miss Katibree…" Sylphiel laughed.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with you there, Nels Rada..." The half drow said with a smirk.

(S) "I guess that means 'I win' then…" The shrine maiden said quietly. "That's Sylphiel 1, Miss Katibree 0 right…?" She added with a shy little smile.

"H-hey…!" The mostly platinum haired warrior balked.

(L) "Whoa, way to go **Sylphiel**!" Lina cheered.

(K) "Ok, now I **really** want to drink." Katibree sighed.

(L) "I'm still listening…" The younger girl said wryly.

"Uhm… I'll…. Give you a piggyback ride until we get to the next campsite tomorrow…?" The older girl tried unsurely.

"I'll give you points for originality, but not interested." The redhead replied while closing her eyes and turning her head to the side haughtily.

"Ok, ok…" Katibree said while folding her arms and looking up at the sky with a sigh. "…One freebie." She finally conceded.

One ruby colored eye popped open at this last offer. "No strings?" The sorceress asked.

"No strings." The mostly platinum haired warrior affirmed with a laugh.

"You've got yourself a deal." Lina agreed somberly before breaking into a grin.

(S) "A freebie…?" Sylphiel mused. "Does that mean that Miss Katibree has to pay for your next lunch or something Miss Lina…?"

"Uhm… well heh…" The redhead faltered, caught of guard by the question.

(K) "Yup, all she can eat!" Katibree called having already made her way back over to the fire pit and brandishing a bottle of rum.

The sorcery genius blushed vividly at the shameless innuendo of this last statement but couldn't help but play along herself. "Hey pull the wine out too will ya, that's **always** cause for celebration…!"


	52. Chapter 52

(S) _I suppose that standing watch isn't so bad. _Sylphiel mused to herself while checking the kettle of water that she'd hung over the camp fire to boil. _It's actually really peaceful with everyone else asleep, well aside from Dear Gourry's snoring…_She added to herself with a little giggle as she prepared some tea leaves.

_I don't mind his snoring; it's kind of comforting in a strange way… although I'm sure that Miss Katibree would beg to differ considering she needed earplugs to get to sleep this morning… _The shrine maiden thought with a glance over to the area of the campsite that the half elf had chosen to bed down for the day at… which was a considerable distance from the other two slumbering party members.

_Miss Lina __**did**__ try to warn her that the more Gourry dear drinks, the louder he snores…But, I guess it's really one of those things that you can't fully comprehend until you've actually heard it…_

_Oh good, the water's finally boiling. _She thought to herself cheerfully while going about the task of making herself a fresh cup of tea.

The raven haired girl began to bring the cup up to her lips for a small sip, but faltered while looking down into it perplexedly.

_That's odd…did the tea just…? _

_Yes, there it is again…I'm almost certain of it… _Sylphiel pondered while watching as the liquid in the cup rippled slightly. _I don't feel anything, but…_She trailed off worriedly while standing up and scanning the area. _But, Miss Lina did say to wake her if I noticed anything out of the ordinary… _She finished before walking over to Lina and trying to shake her awake with her free hand while holding the cup of tea in the other.

"Miss Lina, wake up please… I think you should see this." She called quietly.

The redhead woke up much easier than the shrine maiden had expected she would, to her surprise and relief.

"Sylphiel… what's up?" The sorceress asked groggily.

"Take a look at this." The raven haired girl said while holding out her cup of tea as the liquid within it settled once more.

"The… cup?" Lina asked in annoyance while propping herself up on her elbows.

"No Miss Lina, the tea inside…" Sylphiel explained while holding the cup closer.

"The tea inside - -?" The sorcery genius began shortly before cutting off what she was saying and squinting into the cup as the surface of the liquid was disturbed once more. _What the __**hell**__...? If anything was large enough nearby to cause that, we should definitely feel or at least hear something unless… _She trailed off mentally while observing the tea a few more moments more in silence.

(S) "I'm not certain if whatever is causing it is getting closer or not because I can't hear or feel anything but…" The shrine maiden began before trailing off as Lina tossed the covers off of herself and stood abruptly, padding off in Katibree's direction.

_Unless whatever's causing this is something __**we**__ just aren't capable of sensing…_The redhead deducted as she made the rest of her way to the sleeping half drow before plopping down next to and partially on top of her sleeping bag, causing the larger girl to start awake as she reached down and yanked out a earplug unceremoniously.

"_**Ow**_ **damn** it…" The older girl hissed while sitting up and removing the other earplug on her own much more carefully while nursing her abused pointed ear. "What was **that** for…?" She complained while giving the sorceress an indignant revenge shove before trailing off with a perplexed expression on her face as she gazed around the campsite suspiciously.

"What the hell is that **noise**…?" The half elf finally asked with some alarm while sliding her blades from underneath her pillow as the sorcery genius gauged her reaction before standing wordlessly to go and wake up Gourry.

(S) "You can hear something Miss Katibree?" Sylphiel asked while still holding her heroic cup of tea.

"Yeah, it's like a… deep keening noise if… that makes any sense." The mostly platinum haired warrior tried to explain while walking over to a tree of decent height to scale.

(L) "**Gourry**… wake up…" Lina called while shaking the still snoring swordsman savant.

(S) "Is it nearby…?" The shrine maiden called as the ex-assassin began to climb the tree to get a better view.

"I don't know, it's almost like the sound is coming from everywhere at once." Katibree replied with a grunt as she pulled herself further up into the more sparse branches.

"Gourry, rise and **shine**!" The redhead continued, having resorted to slapping the side of the blonde warrior's face before beginning to shake him down right violently. "**Gou**-_**rry**_…!"

(G) "Hum, what…?" The swordsman savant finally asked sleepily. "Is it time for breakfast or something?"

Having finally made it to the top of the tree, the half elf stayed there a long moment, just gazing at what the horizon revealed to her expressionlessly before finally making her way back down to the ground.

"So what's the deal?" / "Did you see anything?" Lina and Sylphiel asked simultaneously while Gourry rubbed some sleep from his eyes with a yawn.

Katibree ran a hand through her mostly platinum colored mane before answering with a sigh. "The deal is, what I saw isn't any of **our** concern." "Our best bet is to just pack up and move camp." She added matter of factly.

(L) _I'll take your word for it Kat… but Sylphiel on the other hand…_The redhead thought with a sigh of her own.

(S) "Well, what was it…?" The shrine maiden persisted.

"To give you an idea, it's actually past the tree canopies of this forest and still further down into that canyon area headed north..." The ex-assassin replied. "And even at that distance, I could still see it's head and some of it's shoulders." She finished with a grin.

The sorceress raised a single crimson eyebrow at this while the raven haired girl gaped.

(L) "A **titan** all the way out here…?" Lina finally asked in bemusement.

"A **Sea** Titan to be exact." Katibree confirmed.

(L) "Well, that explains what was going on with the tea at least…" The redhead said with a shrug. "That noise it's making is probably specialized for use underwater…"

(S) "Isn't there a town in that canyon area?" Sylphiel asked worriedly.

(K) "Yes, but it doesn't seem to be so much attacking the town as it's looking for something." The half drow mused.

"Oh that horrible…we have to help them!" The shrine maiden said.

(L) _And here we go… _The redhead thought to herself with a rustle of her crimson colored mane.

(K) "You've got to be kidding me Nels Rada, don't you have any sense of self-preservation at all?" Katibree deadpanned.

"Of course I do Miss Katibree, no one wants to die… But if people need our help - - " Sylphiel began before being cut off by the mostly platinum haired warrior.

(K) "**Ok**, what part are you **not** understanding about the reason that we're on this schedule to begin with?" The ex-assassin asked pointedly. "Engaging in a drawn out battle with that thing is about the least stealthy thing that we can do at this point."

(G) _"Whew, count me outta this one…" _The blonde warrior said while clasping his hands behind his head with a quiet chuckle as Lina casted a Ray Wing spell to get a view of the titan out of morbid curiosity.

"Miss Katibree, how could you be so cold when the whole town may be destroyed?" Sylphiel asked crossly.

"That town isn't any of my concern; us living to fight another day is my concern." The half elf replied with a disinterested gesture while leaning against a nearby boulder and gazing up at the sky.

"What would make this battle any different from any of the other ones that we've fought in the past besides the fact that the opponent is larger?" The raven hair girl persisted. "I thought you liked a challenge Miss Katibree."

"You're **missing** the point here Nels Rada; I like a good fight as well as any other self-respecting warrior does, but it's not the Sea Titan that's the problem here." The half drow said while locking eyes with her.

"Then what **is** the problem Katibree, what else could possibly matter when innocent lives are at stake?" The shrine maiden challenged.

"Well, as long as we're dropping the formalities here…" Katibree began while shrugging off of the boulder she'd be leaning against and walking up to the raven haired girl with her arms folded. "The **problem** Sylphiel, is the **attention** that having a massive battle with that creature is going to draw to **us**; have you ever thought of the possibility that this titan may have been lured out here just to bait us into an ambush?"

Sylphiel faltered at this a moment, but steeled her resolve once more. "…No I hadn't Miss Katibree, but… that's something that I'm willing to risk when helpless people need aid." "Are you really content to leave them to that fate when you have the power to change it?" She added while locking eyes with the ex-assassin once more.

"**Look**, if you're fishing for a humanitarian, bleeding heart, bullshit answer here, you're in for a world of disappointed because I'm a **realist**, Sylphiel." The mostly platinum haired warrior said bluntly. "I've already given you my opinion on what it logically makes sense for **us** to do in this situation, and that opinion still stands." _In the end, it's not as if the final say goes to __**me**__ anyway. _She added silently while glancing over as Lina touched down from her impromptu titan stakeout and made her way back over to them.

"…Gourry dear…?" The raven haired girl finally implored in frustration.

"Oh **no**, I **know** better than to get in the middle of **this**; I decided to sit this one out awhile ago." The blonde warrior said.

"And… do you feel this way as well Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked while turning to the approaching sorcery genius.

"I'm going to have to agree with Kat's previous statement here Sylphiel, it's really none of our concern." The redhead replied while closing her eyes and folding her arms. "Tragedies happen all the time; if we tried to save everyone, we'd never get anything done."

"I…. I understand that, but this isn't like some bandit attack, or even an attack from trolls…" The raven haired girl began. "It's just not natural that a Sea Titan would wander out this far…"

"Yeah, I was actually kind of wondering what it was doing all the way out here myself…" The sorceress mused more to herself than anyone else.

(S) "It may be a trap, but at the same time it could be the byproduct of that huge tsunami that hit awhile back…" Sylphiel deducted. "Miss Katibree did say that it appears to be looking for something, so is it really so far of a stretch to think that maybe the tsunami uprooted and brought something to shore that belongs to it?"

Lina twitched visibly at this statement causing the ex-assassin to roll her lavender colored eyes. "Mine as well get geared up Gabriev…" She said quietly.

"Oh, are we gonna go fight it then…?" The swordsman savant asked lightly while picking up his chest plate.

"Yeah, I think it's… pretty much everything **but** official."

(S) "Either way, it's not some common occurrence that the town's people have even the remotest capabilities of combating." The shrine maiden continued while fixing the redhead with her gentle but firm jade colored gaze. "It… it just isn't right to turn a blind eye to their plight Lina."

"Hooownn…!" The redhead groaned while beginning to rustle her crimson mane in frustration. _So __**annoying**__...! Kat's logic is solid as usual, but if I go that route… As strongly as Sylphiel feels about this, she'll just go off on her own and try and get herself killed and end up dragging us along __**anyway**__… And then there's the fact that there's actually a decent chance that this whole mess is my fault in a round about way to begin with…! __**Damn**_**it**_! Why can't __**anything**_"go **smoothly** for a change…!?" She finally blurted while stamping her foot.

After taking a moment to get her temper back in check the redhead finally spoke once more. "Alright… gear up." She said while smoothing out her crimson mane with a resigned sigh.

(G) "Looks like you were right!" Gourry said cheerfully while slinging his sword over his shoulder.

"Yup." Katibree affirmed while securing her own blades to her belt. "Way ahead of you Red." She added with a casual glance in the direction of the sorceress.

(L) _Called that one, did ya Kat…? _The redhead thought while shooting her an annoyed glare that the older girl pretended not to notice. "And that's actually pretty good wording Kat, because you and Gourry are **both** about to be quite physically 'way ahead' of me." She added with a sinister crack of her knuckles.

(G) "Hum…?" Gourry asked while the ex-assassin next to him sweat-dropped.

"Just… do me a favor and go stand by that ledge over there." Lina explained with a smirk before making a picture frame in the direction that she'd indicated with her forefingers and thumbs.

(G) "You mean… this ledge right here…?" The blonde warrior asked as he walked over to the cliff overlooking the forest.

"That's the one Gourry." The redhead affirmed with a grin. "Go on Katibree, you too…" She added coyly.

(K) "…Weren't you the one bitching a few months ago about support characters doing reckless things?" The ex-assassin asked as she made her way over to the ledge as well while still sweat dropping.

"Oh I'm sure you've got your feet pretty firmly in the plot by now Kat…" The sorcery genius assured her before licking a finger and holding it up to test the wind.

(S) "Plot…?" The shrine maiden asked in confusion.

(L) "I'm going to need your help on this one too Sylphiel, gimmie a wind barrier when I say to..." Lina said. "…Right around the two of them." She added with an evil little smile sporting a fang.

(S) "A wind barrier - -?" "Oh, Miss Lina you wouldn't?" The raven haired girl balked.

"Look Sylphiel, **you're** the one that wanted to save the town, and it's **miles** away; and if we don't get there soon, there won't be a town left to save, which pretty much defeats the purpose of going there to begin **with**…" Lina explained matter of factly.

"But we can just Ray - -"

"Yes we **can** Ray Wing there Sylphiel, and **we **are going to do just that…" "But Katibree and Gourry here can't **fly**, and we'd be completely exhausted carrying the two of them all the way there and pretty much useless in the fight once we got there." The redhead continued to explain. "And on top of **that**, doing it **this** way will get the two of them there _**now**_ to start distracting the titan that's currently terrorizing the helpless, innocent, needy, annoying towns folk while we Ray Wing there more slowly." She said while turning to glare at the shrine maiden meaningfully.

(G) "Uhm… Katibree… what are Lina and Sylphiel talking about…?" The swordsman savant asked.

(K) "I wouldn't worry about it too much Gabriev." The mostly platinum haired warrior said while sitting down with a resigned sigh and propping up her head with an elbow. _I guess ignorance really is bliss…_

(L) "Now kindly give me a wind barrier just before I fire Sylphiel." The sorcery genius reiterated with a sweet smile. "And you should probably make it a good one… I'm pretty mad."

"Oh, dear - -" The raven haired girl began worriedly.

"Darkness beyond **twilight**, crimson beyond blood that **flows**…" The redhead interjected agitatedly.

(G) "K-Katibree… where is she aiming that thing…?" Gourry asked with growing nervousness.

"**Buried** in the stream of time is where your power **grows**…"

(K) "Where does it look like she's aiming it?" Katibree replied while opening a flask of wine and taking a pull from it.

"I pledge myself to **conquer**, all the foes who **stand**, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy **hand**…"

(G) "Well… call me crazy, but it looks like she's aiming it at us…" Gourry said with a nervous laugh.

"Bingo." Katibree replied while closing the container and standing.

"Then……. **why** aren't we running _**away**_??!" The swordsman savant exclaimed while trying to bolt as the mostly platinum haired warrior held on to the end of his hair.

"Let the **fools** who stand before me be **destroyed** by the power you and I _**possess**_!"

(K) "Come on Gabriev don't be such a baby, if we die at least we can haunt her together!"

(S) "M-Miss Lina this is - -"

"**Sylphiel**, I'm going to **cast** this **whether** you put up that barrier or _**not**_ so I **suggest**you**put**it_**up**_!"

"OH Cepheid **protect** them… **Wind** _**Barrier**_!"

(G) "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" The blonde warrior shouted while flailing his arms as both he and Katibree began to levitate and a large transparent barrier formed around them.

(K) _Jeez, didn't even get a blindfold and a cigarette…_The half elf thought to herself wistfully while rapping a knuckle against the inside of the force field a few times before standing and placing her back against it and bracing herself. "Gabriev, move it."

"What do you think I've been trying to _**do**_?!" The swordsman savant exclaimed while trying to claw his way out of the force field.

The redhead closed a ruby colored eye to better size up the protection spell while adjusting the angle and force of the blast that would be dispelled accordingly. _And the barrier is at it's strongest point………__**there**_"**Dragooooon**…..!"

(S) _Oh __**please**__ hold, __**please**__ hold, __**please**__ hold, __**please**__…! _Sylphiel prayed to any God that happened to be listening while squeezing her eyes shut and concentrating with everything that she had.

(K) "That's not what I meant Gabriev, I meant move from in front of me - -"

"_**Slaaave**_!" The sorcery genius exclaimed while letting loose a large beam of red and white magic from her extended palms that catapulted the wind barrier like a cannon ball.

(G) "I'm going to get you back **so** bad for this _**Linaaaaa**_ - -_**OOF**_!" Gourry shouted as the velocity of the shot forced him from where he'd been standing in the middle of the barrier to the back wall of it, crushing a decidedly displeased ex-assassin underneath him.

"_**Uhn **_damn it, **Gabriev**…!" "Don't you know physics at **all**??" Came the mostly platinum haired warrior's muffled complaint from underneath the swordsman savant's chest plate as the barrier hurdled through the forest toward the canyon ahead.

(S) "Miss Lina, I don't think I'm going to be able to hold the barrier… all the way there!" The shrine maiden said with noticeable strain in her voice.

"Oh come on Sylphiel, did you really think I expected you to keep the barrier up all on your own…?" Lina replied while walking over and placing a hand on the taller girl's golden shoulder pad with a laugh. "I was just counting on you to protect them from the initial blast yourself, of course I'll help you reinforce it through all the tree impacts and stuff afterwards." She added more quietly while frowning in concentration herself as she strengthened and repaired the raven haired girl's barrier with her own added magical energy.

Soon enough, the Dragon Slave Cannon Ball had cleared the forest and made it's way into the canyon with a screaming Gourry and cursing Katibree tangled and struggling comedicly inside it.

The Sea Titan had just turned to look at the incoming object wailing toward it as the ball of collective master swordsman entered the town area and roared angrily as the transparent ball hit it soundly in the mid section, nearly causing it to lose it balance as the barrier cannon ball bounced off before hitting the ground and popping, spilling the tangle of half elf and swordsman savant out and onto the ground abruptly.

(L) "Whoa, did you feel that last fluctuation in the barrier Sylphiel??" Lina asked back at the camp site cheerfully. "Something that we had to work **that** hard to keep stabilized was a direct hit for sure!"

"Should you really have enjoyed doing that so much Miss Lina…?" The shrine maiden asked with a sweat-drop.

"Eh, heh… well no, probably not… but I sure did!" The sorcery genius said with a laugh.

"Well I think it'd be best to go and see if they're alright now…" The raven hair girl said quietly while lifting off with a Ray Wing.

"Yeah, I'll be right behind ya… just need to grab something first!" The redhead called back.

(K) "Such an idiot, Gabriev!" The ex-assassin growled while squirming to get from underneath the much larger warrior sprawled on top of her.

"What'd I do??" The swordsman savant asked while attempting to get up himself. "I already told you I don't know any psychics so why are you so mad?"

"I said **physics**, not psychics; you nearly crushed me to death during the ride here you blockhead…!" The mostly platinum haired warrior said while standing and brushing herself off before both of them froze as a very large pair of yellow eyes towered over and began to scrutinize them, the creature's indigo colored beard sweeping along the ground.

(G) "Uhm, I guess we got it's attention…" Gourry laughed while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Ya think?" Katibree asked while unsheathing a blade with a grin.

"Definitely, but how are we supposed to take on something like **this**?"

"Well, first things first…" The half drow said before chucking the blade at the creature's face and gouging it's cheek, causing it to rear back and clutch it while roaring loudly in anger. "We need to lead it away from town." She explained with an involuntary wince as the sound of the roar rung her ears painfully.

"And just how are we supposed to do that - - _**WHOA**_!" The blonde warrior suddenly exclaimed as he and the mostly platinum haired warrior ran in opposite directions and dodged to either side at the last moment as a massive pale blue fist slammed down where they'd just been standing and shook the ground with it's impact, blasting chunks of rock and dirt in every direction.

"I suggest you start running, Gabriev!" The ex-assassin called wryly as she made her way to one of the titan's feet in a run while catching her returning weapon.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" The swordsman savant called back in dismay while following suit in a sprint to the opposing foot.

As the two master swordsmen closed in on either foot, they both jumped up and slashed at an ankle as they passed underneath and between the behemoth's legs, eliciting another indignant bellow from the creature as it stooped and swatted at them before shambling in a circle to look for them once more.

Having lost sight of the warrior duo as they passed under it's blind spot, the Sea Titan emitted the same noise that it had been using earlier.

Being much closer to the source this time, Katibree gasped in pain and nearly lost her footing as her vision blurred while running over the rocky terrain along side the blonde warrior as the overwhelming noise assaulted her eardrums.

After having relocated it's adversaries, the titan continued it's pursuit and caught up to them in less than two strides.

(G) "You doing Ok over there, Katibree?" Gourry called upon noticing the uncharacteristic lack of balance that the half elf was displaying.

"I'm fine Gabriev." The ex-assassin replied grimly, barely having heard the swordsman savant's inquiry over the ringing of her own ears as the two of them ducked and dodged between the massive feet crashing down and around them as the titan caught up to them with every other stride before falling behind once again.

Much further out, Sylphiel who was speeding over the tree canopy in the direction of the canyon, glanced over her shoulder as Lina came up behind her before finally catching up and flying side by side with her.

(S) "The titan is really moving now, so I guess the two of them are Ok!" The shrine maiden called to the redhead.

"Yeah, it looks like they're leading it away from town right now!" The sorceress called back.

"Did you find what you were looking for…?" The raven haired girl asked.

"Yep, let's kick it up a notch Ok Sylphiel?" The sorcery genius replied before picking up speed and shooting ahead of the taller girl.

"R-right!" Sylphiel affirmed while pushing herself in an effort to keep up with the redhead.

Meanwhile back at the canyon, Gourry and Katibree were coming up on a stretch of cliff wall that effectively served as a dead-end for them with the titan still hot on their heels.

(G) "Looks like the end of the line coming up!" The swordsman savant called.

"Yeah, double back?" The half elf replied.

"Let's do it!" The blonde warrior affirmed with a grin.

As the warrior duo made it to the cliff wall, they jumped and ran up it vertically before jettisoning off just as the behemoth caught up and smashed into it, before twisting in mid air while sailing in the opposite direction to slash at the titan's hamstrings on either side as they passed.

At this the Sea Titan let out a combo roar that threw off the ex-assassin's equilibrium and caused her to completely botch her landing and go tumbling with a grunt as the creature began to hone in on her and Gourry's new locations.

(G) "Hey, aren't you always complaining to me about laying around on the job, Katibree…?" The swordsman savant called uneasily after noticing that the mostly platinum haired warrior had landed face down in the dirt behind him.

Dazed and disoriented, the mostly platinum haired warrior shook her head before getting unsteadily to her feet while the titan settled it's gaze on the closest target which would be her and rose a fist to strike. _The world is __**spinning**__…! _She thought to herself with a gasp before staggering a few steps.

"That's no good…!" The blonde warrior said while sprinting toward the half elf and tackling her out of the way at the last second as the massive hand came down, before rolling with her out of harms way and shielding her from the debris raining down afterwards.

(G) "Hey, you know it's really dumb to just zone out on the battlefield like that." Gourry said while grinning down at the half drow afterwards.

"Yeah… thanks for the save Gourry." The mostly platinum haired warrior said while sitting back up with a wince as the dust began to clear along with the ringing in her ears.

"Don't mention it, and don't worry, I can keep this thing busy on my own until whatever's going on with you passes!" The swordsman savant said good-naturedly as he stood before charging the Sea Titan once more with a battle cry.

(K) _How…__**embarrassing**__…_The ex-assassin thought to herself morbidly while holding her head as another aggravated roar from the titan sent yet another flash of pain through her ears. _That I can handle even as loud as it is, but that secondary roar that it uses… I've got to find a way to - -_

Just then Lina touched down next to her, interrupting her brooding. "Decided to sit this fight out for awhile, Hun?" She asked wryly while handing the older girl a much needed set of earplugs as she sized up the titan that Gourry was currently distracting.

"Impeccable timing as always, Red." The mostly platinum haired warrior chuckled while taking the earplugs gratefully.

"What would ya do without me?" The smaller girl asked with a wink.

"For one thing, live a less hazardous life…!" The older girl replied with a quick wink and a smile before adjusting the earplugs as she made a b-line for the Sea Titan in a run.

"You'd be bored to _**tears**_ and you **know** it!" Lina called after her with a laugh as Sylphiel landed beside her.

"I'm sorry I fell behind, you can **really** move when you want to Miss Lina." The shrine maiden said somewhat breathlessly.

"No worries Sylphiel, you're right on time!" The redhead replied sunnily. "You know the spell Stone Spiker don't you?"

"Yes, I've learned it…."

"Good - - wait… you don't cast that spell like you casted your Flare Arrows back in the day… do you?"

"No Miss Lina, I've improved drastically since those days…" The raven haired girl said with a giggle.

"Alright then let's get to work, follow me Sylphiel!" The sorcery genius exclaimed while running off.

"Ooo-**kay**!" The shrine maiden affirmed while following after her.

(G) "**Hey**, welcome back!" The swordsman savant called to Katibree after dodging a titan foot that came crashing down near him before hacking at the limb with a counter attack.

"How goes the battle?" The mostly platinum haired warrior called back with a smirk.

"Not good, it's like nothing I do is affecting this guy!" The blonde warrior shouted while ducking and rolling underneath a swiping attack from the titan's hand. "The attacks are sticking, but they're only making him angry like they're just kitten scratches or something!"

_Kitten scratches huh…? _The half drow mused while running and jumping onto the huge hand as it whizzed by while digging her blades into the back of it to keep hold causing the creature to bellow and bring the hand back up.

(G) "Kat, what the heck are you doing!?" The swordsman savant cupped his hands and shouted as he watched the titan shake it's hand in a vigorous attempt to dislodge the ex-assassin from several stories in the air, causing her to flail about wildly.

"You said regular attacks were like kitten scratches!" She called back while flipping herself upright and dislodging her weapons once the hand had steadied enough for her to move without losing her balance.

"**Yeah**, so what does trying to fall to your death have to do with **that**?" Gourry shouted back up as Katibree sprinted and jumped from the back of the hand toward the titan's arm just before the adjacent hand came down with a thunderous clap in an attempt to squash her.

"Whoa!" Katibree exclaimed as the resulting blast of air sent her flying off course, nearly knocking her from the arm completely before she could dig a blade into the forearm of the behemoth to catch herself once more. "Well, a kitten scratch to your foot or arm isn't really to bad… but how do you think that one getting a hold of your eyes would feel?" She shouted back while scrambling up the muscular bicep while dodging the creature's attempts to brush her off.

The swordsman savant put a hand on his chin at this. "Well, I guess that would suck pretty bad… I mean kittens may not be very strong, but they sure do have sharp claws…" He mused as the half drow made her way up to the shoulder of the titan before dodging yet another slap and being blasted off of it by the resulting shock of air and toppling backwards to find herself clinging to the hair on the creature's upper back with one hand, dangling precariously. "Oh, now I get it, the eyes are it's **weak** spot!" He deducted while slapping a fist into an open hand in enlightenment.

(L) "Ok Sylphiel, now give me two Stone Spikers about 50 meters that way the same as these!" Lina ordered from over half a mile out from the battle, receiving a dutiful nod from the taller girl before turning her attention to the two pillars already towering in front of her, one angling out of the ground and pointing in the direction of the titan with another tilted over that spike directly behind it. "Ok, let's do this… Bu Brymer special…!" She exclaimed while touching the base of the lower pillar, shaping it into what looked like a sort of deep stone chute with a simple but effective base that allowed it to rotate.

(L) _That'll do! _She thought to herself approvingly while slapping a hand on the pillar leaning over and directly above it. "And again!" She said while recasting the spell and shaping the second pillar into a smooth, sharpened and hollowed out spike before dusting off her hands and Ray Winging over to Sylphiel's newest location.

(S) "Stone… Spiker!" The raven haired girl casted as the redhead landed next to her.

"Hey, you've actually gotten pretty good at this Sylphiel!" The sorceress said while shielding her eyes with a hand as she looked up and did some quick geometry in her head with the angles of the spikes.

"Oh… t-thank you…" The shrine maiden stammered while flushing with pleasure at the unexpected compliment from the sorcery genius. "I've been working really hard to try and become strong like you Miss Lina." She added shyly.

"You're definitely on the right track." Lina replied with a smirk before slapping her hand down on the bottom pillar of this set of spikes as well. "Bu Brymer Special!"

"Uhm, but may I ask a question…?"

"I'm all ears, Sylphiel."

"Well, how come we're going through all of this trouble to fight this Sea Titan?" Sylphiel asked. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to just blast it with a Dragon Slave, Miss Lina?"

"Well for one thing, that titan's not just big, it's got some serious constitution too." "I'm guessing it'd probably take 2 to 3 Dragon Slaves to kill it considering it's element's water, and that's **amplified** Dragon Slaves." The redhead began to explain while testing the mobility of the newest chute base.

"Now I've read that titans in general aren't very smart, but it's only instinctive to focus on whatever hurts the most." "After the first shot, that thing would be on me in a few strides and I'd be playing ring around the titan like Kat and Gourry are right now." She continued while taking to the air and gesturing for the taller girl to follow her to the next location.

"And even if I **could** take it out in one shot, there's be no way for Kat and Gourry to get out of the way of the blast radius." "Katibree's the only one of us with a prayer of out running the thing, and even if the titan didn't decide to give up on chasing Kat and go after Gourry because he's slower, there's no way I'd be able to get a decent shot with them moving at those speeds no matter **how** good I am at math…" The sorcery genius said as they flew.

"And even if I did manage to somehow land the shot, I seriously doubt that Kat could outrun the blast radius of a Dragon Slave powerful enough to kill a full grown titan in one shot." She finally finished as they touch down at the last spot.

"I didn't realize you'd put so much thought into this already…" The raven haired girl replied quietly before working on the last set of Stone Spikers.

"I try and do that with every fight that I'm going to be getting into or have even a chance of getting into if I can foresee it happening at all." Lina replied while squinting at what looked like an approaching 'object' incoming on the horizon. "Thinking like that is one of the things that's kept me alive over the years." She added while stepping to the side casually as a certain swordsman savant when whizzing by.

"I-I see - -" Sylphiel began crestfallenly before noticing the blonde warrior sail by herself. "OH Gourry dear…?!"

(G) "Whhh**ooaaAaA**aaAAAAAaaaa**aggghhhhhhhhhhHHHH**!!! - - _**OoF**_!!" Gourry shouted while skidding and tumbling not so gracefully along the rocky terrain before finally being stopped by a large boulder. "Uuuuuh…." He moaned miserablely afterwards.

(L) "Try to climb the Sea Titan Gourry…?" Lina asked wryly while shaping the spikes that Sylphiel had just made.

"But… Kat… made it look really easy…" The blonde swordsman said while yanking his face out of the dirt with a cough.

"Yeah, she has a tendency to do that." The redhead replied while rubbing the back of her neck. "Anyway, we could actually use a little brute force over here Gourry, why don't cha come give us a hand?"

"Uh sure…" The swordsman savant agreed as he headed over to them.

"Alright, do me a favor and cut the base of this spike so it falls into that chute deal underneath it…"

"Oh, that's easy!" Gourry said before cutting the hollowed spike at a clean angle with a fluid swing of his 2 handed sword. "See, no sweat!" He added as it fell into the chute neatly.

"Oh, that's great Gourry!" The redhead exclaimed cheerfully while clasping her hands together. "Now you only need to do the others the same way!"

"The others…?" The blonde swordsman asked while looking around. "B-but look how far away from each other they are - -"

"Time is of the essence Gourry, I could always help you get to them faster if you'd like..." Lina began evilly.

"**Alright**, I'm going, I'm going, I'm _**going**_!" The swordsman savant shouted hurriedly, already running in the direction of the next stone contraption.

(L) "Meet us back at this one after your done Ok?" The redhead shouted after him.

"Don't you think that maybe you're being too hard on Dear Gourry, Miss Lina?" The shrine maiden asked worriedly.

"Relax Sylphiel, I know what I'm doing…" "Both Gourry and Kat are conditioned for this kind of stuff… they can do it all day." "Mages like us need to conserve and recharge our magic reserves whenever we can in a situation where we aren't sure how much of our powers we're going to have to use for how long." The sorcery genius said while shielding her ruby colored eyes in an attempt to monitor Katibree's progress with the titan.

Back at the ongoing battle, the half drow had made her way back onto a shoulder of the behemoth after a series of thwarted attempts and unsheathed a blade before bounding from it's shoulder to the creature's beard, catching a hold of a fist full of course indigo colored hair strands and swinging up wards while charging a blade and flinging it at a huge yellow eye.

The blade penetrated with a loud hissing noise as the creature roared in anguish so loudly that the ground in the surrounding area actually shook as it staggered backwards into the cliff wall behind it, causing parts of it to crumble while clutching at it's face while the ex-assassin shimmied over to the other shoulder precariously to get a good shot at the other one and completely blind it.

(L) "I think she just got one of the eyes!" Lina said while climbing on top of the contraption for a better look as Gourry came jogging up.

"All set Captain!" The blonde warrior said with a salute.

"Great work Gourry!" The redhead replied somewhat distractedly. "Now I just need Kat to finish up her end of the deal."

As she said that, the Sea Titan bellowed twice as miserably. (L) "And that would be our cue." The sorceress said with a smirk before sending up a Rune Flare off to her right to let the half drow know which direction she'd be firing in.

(S) "Have you two… done this type of thing before Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked while watching the mostly platinum haired warrior scramble to the titan's right shoulder as Lina jumped down and directed Gourry to aim the device at the left side of the behemoth's chest.

"No, not really…" The sorcery genius replied while positioning herself behind the hollowed out spike with her palms extended. "**Bom** Di… _**WIND**_!" She exclaimed, sending a massive blast of air into the hollowed spike, propelling it through the air toward the behemoth. The projectile struck, but was off course, embedding itself in the Sea Titan's shoulder instead of Lina's intended target… the heart.

"**Damn**, the wind switched up on me…" The redhead swore as the creature began to sweep it's head back and forth while using it's secondary roar before reaching back and grabbing a titan sized handful of cliff with it's good arm as the half drow scrambled to the left shoulder once more.

(S) "Uhm… Miss Lina…?" Sylphiel began worriedly as the behemoth set it's sightless stare in the group's direction while Katibree gestured at it's throat franticly. "I think Miss Katibree is trying to tell us something…"

(L) "I guess we could try another shot from this position…" Lina mused completely lost in thought while licking a finger and holding it up to the wind once more.

The Sea Titan used it's secondary roar one last time in their direction before lobbing the huge chunk of rock at them and reaching for another.

(S) "**Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggghhhh**!"

(G) "_**Lina**_, **incoming**, _**INCOMING**_…!!" The swordsman savant exclaimed while pointing.

"What - - **Hawh**!" "Move, move, move, **move**, _**move**_…!" The sorceress exclaimed while grabbing Sylphiel by the arm and taking off in a sprint along side Gourry as the chunk of cliff crashed down where they just were, obliterating the device.

(G) "I thought Katibree blinded it!" The blonde swordsman shouted as the 3 or them ran.

(L) "She did, I watched her do it!" The sorcery genius shouted back.

(S) "Here comes another one!" The raven haired girl gasped.

(G) "Then how the heck is it seeing us to do this??" The swordsman savant exclaimed.

(L) "Make a **right**, a **right**, a _**right**_!" Lina exclaimed as the trio made a hard right to avoid the next projectile that came crashing down. "I don't know, I guess it has another sense it can see us with!"

(S) "I think… Miss Katibree… was pointing at it's neck…" Sylphiel said in between gasps.

(L) "It's neck…?" The redhead asked as the group narrowly avoided yet another projectile, shielding their eyes from the flying debris as they ran. "Maybe she means that noise it's making that only she can hear!" She finally exclaimed. "Alright Gourry, take Sylphiel… we need to split up!"

"Right!" The blonde warrior exclaimed.

"Head for another spike cannon if it stops throwing miniature mountains at you!" The sorceress added before the group broke off in different directions.

"Gotcha Miss Lina!" Sylphile affirmed.

Back at the titan, Katibree held on for dear life as the Sea Titan hurled one piece of cliff after another at the group, alternating between Gourry, Sylphiel and Lina. _We're never going to take this thing down at this rate! Even if I had the chance to concentrate enough to call my weapons back to me…I seriously doubt I could make my way through that beard to get at it's throat, each hair is nearly as think as my arm…_

_And even if I could, I seriously doubt I could cut all the way through the muscle and gristle and then all the way through it's trachea. Need to find a way to get it's attention back on me somehow though…_She thought while making her way around to the side of it's neck carefully. _Alright, well…I know I can charge weapons up but I've never tried to charge anything else…Let's see what this does… _The half elf thought to herself while pouring her power directly into the behemoth's neck over where she figured the jugular would be.

The area that her hands were touching began to glow crimson and slowly spread along the creature's neck, but it didn't seem to notice. _It's not fading at least… is there a way to ignite it?" _She wondered after observing it a long moment. _If what I'm understanding is correct, I get my abilities from the magic I'm around… which makes them innately magical themselves._

_And Lina says that almost all magic is linked to emotion in one form or another, and attack spells are based on malice or the intent to kill so…_

The mostly platinum haired warrior trailed off mentally while backing up and balancing on the bum shoulder of the titan while holding out a hand and focusing on the large glowing spot on the creature's neck. _…IGNIGHT! _She thought at the area forcefully before dropping her arm dejectedly after nothing happened. _Well that was a waste of - - _

"Oh."

She deadpanned as the glowing skin began to blister and boil and the titan bellowed and reached for it's neck while she dived from the shoulder and caught hold of the hair on it's upper back.

Seconds later the side of the behemoth's neck virtually exploded, showering purple gore onto it's shoulder and raining it down it's back, showering a certain half elf with it.

(L) _I'm_ _not sure what Kat did over there, but she sure got it's attention again!_ Lina thought while changing directions and booking it for the nearest spike cannon. _Gotta end this quick!_

Once the redhead made it to the stone device, she hurriedly rotated the base of it with a grunt until it was lined up with her target properly and ran around to the back of it, lining her palms up with the opening of the hollowed out spike. "Sorry big guy… Bom Di Wind!"

This time the spike sped through the air and struck true, causing the Sea Titan to gurgle piteously and grasp at it's throat before dropping to it's knees, shaking the ground around it and nearly dislodging the ex-assassin making her careful way down from it.

Seeing that the last shot had the desired affect, Lina scanned the area for Gourry and Sylphiel and Ray Winged over after spotting them by another loaded spike cannon.

(G) "Mission accomplished I guess." Gourry said somewhat gloomily as the redhead touched down by them.

"Not quite." The sorcery genius said while rotating the last cannon and aiming it at the behemoth's heart once more. "At this rate it'll slowly suffocate, and who knows how long it'll take something with that amount of constitution to do." "This is technically your fight Sylphiel, I'll leave the final shot to you… I'm gonna go check on Katibree."

"Up… to me?" The raven haired girl asked while giving the dying titan a pained glance as the redhead lifted off once more.

The swordsman savant gave her a sad little nod at this.

After making her way down from the ailing Sea Titan and putting some distance between herself and it, Katibree stopped and took the time to call her blades back to her, flicking and scraping the sticky and varied fluids off of them with a small grimace until Lina landed in front of her a few moments later.

(L) "Hey." The redhead said with a small wave as she approached.

"Hey yourself." The ex-assassin replied nonchalantly while sheathing her weapons, although her discomfort was glaringly apparent to the younger girl.

"Cut the macho act and comemere…" The sorceress said with a roll of her ruby colored eyes while reaching up and removing the larger girl's earplugs carefully and watching in dismay as a thin trickle of blood dribbled out of one of them. "Can you hear at all?" She asked quietly.

"It fades in and out."

"I should be able to alleviate the pain and bring back some of your hearing then, but you'll have to have Sylphiel completely restore it." Lina said while cupping a hand over each ear gently. "Don't move… Healing power flowing white…" She began to chant.

"What about you, Red?" The half elf asked while closing her eyes as the healing spell took affect. "How are you feeling…?"

"Honestly, I'm down right exhausted." Lina replied while finishing the spell with a sigh. "Sculpting that amount of stone in so much detail is pretty taxing."

"I'll bet…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said as both of them began to walk in Sylphiel and Gourry's direction.

After walking in silence a while, the half drow spoke once more. "So what's going on with the titan?" She couldn't help but ask. "If we leave it the way it is, it could suffer for days before it finally dies."

The redhead glanced over at her with a knowing but affectionate smile at this.

"What…?" The larger girl asked while averting her eyes and blushing slightly. "It's…unprofessional to leave a job unfinished."

"I left it up to Sylphiel to do." The sorceress finally answered quietly.

"Nels Rada…?" The half elf balked. "Do you think she even - -"

Just then the last spike when whizzing past and struck home, the behemoth's body going ridged before pitching forward and causing the ground to tremble once more upon impact.

"Apparently she does…" / "I guess so." Both Lina and Katibree said simultaneously while looking back at the Sea Titan before beginning to walk once more.

Suddenly The ex-assassin's eyes widened in alarm and she shot an arm out to stop and push back the startled redhead while snapping her own head to the side as a familiar looking metallic shard hurtled past them, severing a few strands of platinum hair and grazing the half elf's cheek before embedding itself in the ground a little in front of and off to the right of the smaller girl.

(?) "I was really hoping to get both of you in one shot and be done with it after the titan failed to kill you off, but I guess it just can't be helped." A obviously Mazoku voice said before sliding the rest of the way out of the astral plane.

(K) "Gabriev killed Zifolis, who are you… a disgruntled cousin or brother?" The half elf asked sarcastically.

(Zi) "I suppose you could…"

(Zi2) "…Look at it that way." Another Zifolis finished for the first as it appeared beside him.

(L) _Has Soshurn found out how to clone Monsters??_ The sorceress thought to herself in growing horror.

(?) "And don't forget about me, Lina Inverse... I'm sure you remember your cheap shot on me from a week or so ago." A third monster said as she made her way out of the astral plane as well.

"It's the Monster I hit with that aerial Dragon Slave the other night…" Lina said while she pressing her back to Katibree's to avoid being flanked as the trio of Mazoku began to circle them while laughing mockingly.

Meanwhile several meters away, Sylphiel had finally managed to get her crying under control and began the task of treating Gourry's wounds when he snatched her up without warning and dodged out of the way of green energy blast.

(G) "Who's there!?" The blonde warrior demanded.

(R) "Well if it isn't the priestess bitch and the idiot swordsman!" Rahtarimu said gleefully while appearing before them. "We really have to stop meeting like this or people might get the wrong impression, white mage!"

"It **can't** be, I watched Miss Katibree slay you…" The raven haired girl said as the swordsman savant put her down and drew his sword grimly.

(K) _"I have a feeling that the shit has officially hit the fan, lover…"_ Katibree whispered to the sorcery genius while drawing and charging her weapons.

(L) _"That may actually be the understatement of the century, babe…"_ Lina whispered back while taking a casting stance, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face. _This is __**not**__ good, not good at __**all**_


	53. Chapter 53

(Fi) "What's this, you're standing back to back to try and avoid being flanked…?" Filzinia sneered while charging a globe of black energy. "How futile…!" She laughed as she hurled it at the girls, forcing them to separate in order to avoid the blast as the two Zifolis copies stood by waiting for an opening with their forearm blades extended.

(K) "It only makes sense to watch our backs around you Mazoku…" Katibree replied after landing with a flip several feet away from the explosion and counter attacking with a blade throw as Lina came out of her combat roll on the Monster's adjacent side and fired off an Elmekia Lance simultaneously, which the demon phased to avoid with a hiss.

(L) "Yeah, it's not like we call you **ass**-tral pirates for nothing!" Lina added before drawing her short sword and spinning around to block a slicing warp attack from a Zifolis. "You guys **are** all about 'backdoor' tactics after all…" She added while locking blades with him as Katibree deflected a metallic shard back at the other Zifolis and dodged a hail of energy bolts from Filzinia before rolling back towards Lina and her current opponent.

(Zi2) "A comedian until the end…" The demon that the redhead was blade locked with snarled as the ex-assassin skid behind him, lining herself up for an attack just as the Mazoku was warned by Filzinia and teleported away at the last second, reappearing above the two girls and shooting a volley of spikes down at them afterwards.

(L) "Bom Di Wind!" Lina shouted while extending a hand to direct a torrent of wind up at the shards, blasting them back at the second Zifolis, who crossed his arms to block the redirected barrage while the first metallic looking creature phased in next to the girl's with a series of fierce melee arm blade attacks that Katibree parried and countered until she finally forced the creature back.

(L) _"Wasn't there a third individual Monster…?"_ The redhead whispered as the demons relinquished their attacks and began to circle them once more while regrouping.

"_I believe Sylphiel said that 'Rahtarimu' was his name." _The half drow replied while switching her weapons to opposing hands as the two pressed their backs against one another once again, this time more for the sake of the gesture than for actual battle tactics. _"He's most likely after Gourry and Sylphiel right now."_

"_You're probably right on the money there." _The sorceress agreed grimly as she reached back at the older girl's prompt and exchanged her uncharged short sword for a charged slicer of Katibree's. _I just hope they can hold their own until we can get to them…_

On the other side of the canyon, the swordsman savant and shrine maiden were trying their best to do just that.

(Ra) "I thought we were really getting to know each other the other night, but you don't seem very pleased to see me…" Rahtarimu said to Sylphiel while landing in front of the two of them and charging what looked like a claw full of green energy arrows.

(S) "…I could never be happy to see a being that thrives on the misery of others…!" The raven haired girl replied with borderline disgust while taking another casting stance behind the blonde swordsman. _"Everlasting flame of blue…"_ She began to chant in a whisper.

"Is that so…?" "That **almost** hurts my _**feelings**_ whore of Cepheid!" The wispy looking demon laughed while flinging the green bolts of energy at the duo with glee.

(G) "You should know better than to talk that way to a **lady**!" Gourry retorted while deflecting the arrows back at the creature with a flurry of parries.

(S) _"…Be called forth here from the infinite…!"_ The Sylphiel continued. "**Ra** **T**- -!"

(?) "Not this time, white witch!" A second Rahtarimu said while suddenly warping in behind her as the swordsman savant spun around, thrusting his sword just over and behind the shrine maiden's shoulder to block the creature's cowardly attack with a grunt, unavoidably severing a lock of her raven colored hair in the process.

(S) "**Oh**…!" The startled shrine maiden gasped as the sword whizzed by her head before looking over her other shoulder in alarm. "How… could there possibly be _**2**_ of them??"

(G) _I don't understand how there are two of the same guy now, but I __**do**__ know that fighting both of them at once is basically __**suicide**__…_The blonde warrior thought to himself grimly while struggling to hold his blade steady against the second demon's strength or risk cutting Sylphiel because of it's closeness to her. _"Sylphiel, we need to get away from these guys and at least try and get one of them alone…" _He whispered while glaring at the Mazoku grinning back at him over the shrine maiden's shoulder while using his warrior instincts to try and gage the intent of the creature behind him if it should decide to attack. _"Do you have anything we can use…?"_ He added before finally managing to shove the creature back a growl.

_Miss Amelia did teach me a few spells…_Sylphiel thought to herself before taking a deep breath and beginning to cast. "Dark… **Mist**…!" She exclaimed, triggering a magical thick black fog to roll in and surround then before she felt the swordsman savant's hand on her arm, beginning to lead her in the direction of cover as he ran, prompting her to duck as well while trying to avoid attention, doing his best to decipher the terrain below the mist.

(Ra 1) "What's this…?" The first Rahtarimu asked while watching the dense fog come in with a bemused expression on his face.

(Ra2) "That's just **fine **actually… I've always **loved** a good game of cat and mouse!" The second demon finally laughed.

(G) _At this rate, we're probably going to have to try and hold out until Lina and Katibree get here to help us…_ The blonde warrior deducted dismally while leading the raven haired girl in the general direction that he thought he'd seen some suitable looking cover in earlier. _But something tells me that they've got their own problems to worry about right now…_

True to Gourry's hunch, several miles away from the original location of the battle, the two girls were pinned down and surrounded by the monsters once more.

(F) "What's the matter you two, all out of witty commentary?" The red demoness jeered while circling with the Zifolis' once more in malevolence. "Or have you just finally resigned yourselves to your fate?" She added as the Zifolis copies both extended their arms and sent another barrage of metallic shards flying at the girls.

The duo dodged the hail of spikes, but were forced to continue to run as the twin trails of projectiles followed them, giving off miniature explosions as each shard hit the ground behind them.

(K) "Now the spikes explode, huh?"The ex-assassin said while finally charging the short sword as she ran along side the sorceress. "I guess it's time to try out some new tricks of my own then."

(L) Lina glanced at the half elf and gave her an affirmative nod before finally replying to Filzinia's snide comment with one of her own. "Oh I'm sorry, were we **boring** you?" She taunted before bolting off to the left and rolling as the rain of metallic spikes continued past her and then slid to a stop while firing off an Elmekia Flame that caught the Zifolis' attacking her off guard, hitting him squarely in the chest not killing, but stunning him. "**Kat**!" She indicated.

"Here goes…!" Katibree said while leaping off to the left to elude her own shard barrage and crossing Murakami and Lina's short sword in front of her as she sailed through the air. "**Hah**!" The half elf exclaimed while swinging the weapons and shooting an X shaped crimson blast of energy from them at the still stunned Zifolis, incinerating him instantly.

The remaining Zifolis as well as Filzinia stopped and balked at this. "_**Impossible**_…!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

(L) "What was **that**?" The redhead asked as the older girl landed nearby.

"I'm not sure really, I just kind of… did it…" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied somewhat sheepishly.

The sorcery genius couldn't help but sweat-drop at this. _She channeled and released __**that**__ amount of energy without knowing what kind of __**effect**__ it would have...?_ "Well, at least it **worked**, and _**that**_ makes this fight two on two!"

(Z) "Wouldn't you love that to be the case…?" Zifolis sneered as a replacement Zifolis phased in behind the girls and spat a massive sphere of unholy magic at them that he'd been charging in concealment within the astral plane.

"_**Incoming**_!" Katibree exclaimed, shoving Lina off to the side before diving out of the way herself just before the attack impacted with the ground and exploded between them, partially catching them in the blast and sending them both violently hurtling in opposite directions.

The sorceress hit the ground in an uncontrolled tumble, accumulating a multitude of scratches and scrapes before racking her ribs on a jagged rock protruding from the ground and finally rolling to a stop. "Argh… I can't believe how **powerful** these copies are, that blast nearly sent me clear across the **canyon**…!" She said to herself while scanning the area to regain her bearings. _And now I'm separated from Kat too…_ _How many more clones could there possibly __**be**_She continued to herself mentally while picking herself up off of the ground, holding her now bleeding side with a wince. _I can't get off a Dragon Slave in this type of combat safely, and the reserves I have left would be completely drained after just one Ragna Blade…_

(F) "Peek-a-boo." Filzinia cooed venomously while phasing up out of the ground. "It appears your offense is **lacking** today, Lina Inverse."

"All you had to do was **ask** if you really wanted to take another Dragon Slave up the chute so badly Filzinia…" Lina pushed her pain and growing fatigue to the back of her mind to reply with a smirk while squaring of with the Mazoku, hefting the still charged slicer in her grasp. "I mean, it's kind of creepy considering it's your Dad's spell and all but - -"

"T-that's not what I **meant**!" The demoness blurted angrily. "**Enough** _**talk**_, it's the **end** of the _**line**_ Lina Inverse!" She added while transforming a clawed hand into an energy whip with tentacles in place of fingers.

Elsewhere, having taken the worst of the blast, Katibree stood shakily from her own crash landing before snatching off her ruined cloak that was still partially on fire and tossing it to the side with a growl before scanning the area for opponents. _This is no good… they've got us completely on the ropes… It was bad enough getting ambushed while already being separated from Gabriev and Nels Rada, but now the monsters have managed to isolate Lina and I from one another as well…_She thought while glancing down at the redhead's short sword that she was still holding before the sound of a series of explosions from the other side of the canyon caught her attention. _Well from the sound of that, I'd say that Sylphiel and Gourry are still alive and kicking at least..._

Just then, a Zifolis warped in front of her for an attack which the ex-assassin easily parried and riposted, nicking his shoulder with her counter and causing him to teleport away with a snarl.

(K) "Do you really think you're dealing with an **amateur** here?" She asked while automatically spinning to block the attack from the second Zifolis that she knew would be coming with a grin. "That's one of the oldest tricks in the book." _I may not be able to hear you coming out of the astral plane anymore, but my reflexes and instincts are still as sharp as __**ever**_

(Zi) "Very impressive mortal, but how long do you actually think you can keep this pace up!?" A Zifolis said while phasing in for a bladed sweep attack that the half drow jumped to avoid before barely deflecting a downward slice from the second copy that appeared above her.

"Thanks for the concern, but I can dance all day if it means getting a chance to shut you up." The half drow replied as the Zifolis copies began to phase in and out around her while feinting attacks in an attempt to disorient her. _Smoke and mirrors, cloak and daggers…_The mostly platinum haired warrior added to herself mentally, using the familiar words to steady and focus herself on the task of countering the attacks that the Mazoku clones had begun to mix in with their feints.

Meanwhile over half a mile away, Lina dodged one energy whip attack after another before one of the writhing tentacles finally caught her, wrapping itself around and searing into her wrist. "Uhn!" She gasped while straining against the whip as Filzinia began to reel her in with an evil sounding little giggle. _This monster's toying with me right now, but if she hears me trying to cast the Dragon Slave at all, she'll get serious in a hurry…I can try a silent launch but…those are only supposed to be reserved for lower level spells like Flare Arrows or Fireballs…_

"Welcome to my pallor said the spider to the fly!" The red demoness taunted.

"Can't you come up with something more **original** than quoting children's literature…?" The redhead spouted back while digging her feet into the ground as she was gradually dragged forward. _A silent launch is harder to control because of the fact that the only chaos words verbally spoken to properly stabilize the composition of the spell at all is the trigger word…_

(Fi) "Let's see if you're such a comedian once you're missing a tongue!" Filzinia snarled in response before succeeding in yanking the sorceress a bit further forward before she managed to regain her footing.

(L) "**That** one had more originality at least, you'd think that with centuries to sit and think of this stuff, you monsters would have better material!" The redhead shot back. _Even if I didn't misfire a silent launched Dragon Slave all together and kill myself instantly…as fatigued as I am, there's no way to guarantee that I'd have enough control to run the beam through her instead of it detonating on impact and the resulting blast incinerating me anyway… _She continued to herself, her mind working at a frenzied pace.

Just then Rahtarimu appeared next to Filzinia. "Now isn't this desperation tasty…?" He said while licking his chops.

(L) _Gods, things just keep going from bad to __**worse**__…!_ The sorceress thought to herself bleakly. _At any rate, as risky as trying a silent launch Dragon Slave is, I definitely have more faith in my spell casting ability than I do in a monster's capacity for mercy… _

_At least with the distance between us, even if something goes wrong…Kat should be able to get out of way of the blast, and Gourry and Sylphiel won't be anywhere near it._

(Fi) "**Rahtarimu**, what are you **doing** here?" Filipina looked over to ask in annoyance. "Didn't you ask to deal with the other sorceress personally..?"

(L) _If anything goes wrong…I apologize in advance guys, but if I'm going out, I'm going out with a __**bang**_The redhead said mentally while gazing at Chiba a moment more before closing her eyes with a deep sigh, having made her decision to tempt fate just one more time.

(Ra) "**Relax**, I've got **one** of me on the job… her and the idiot swordsman will get pinned down eventually." Rahtarimu replied disinterestedly. "All they're doing is running and hiding and it's boring, so I figured at least **one** of me should have some fun with the big game."

_Gotta get this just right! _Lina thought to herself while taking advantage of the distraction and cutting the whip around her wrist with Chiba before tumbling backwards with a grunt as the tension on the whip gave. _Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…_

(Fi) "_**Argh**_…Rahtarimu you **idiot**!" The red demoness exclaimed in pain before lashing out with another whip, dislodging the blade from the sorceress's hand before flinging it from her reach with another tentacle.

"Quit yer bitchin' I've got her!" The wispy looking Mazoku said while flying toward the still grounded Lina Inverse while brandishing his claws.

(L) The sorceress reached back and drew Twinkle as the demon closed in, chucking the weapon at the monster in an attempt to buy at least a few more seconds while keeping a death grip on her concentration. _Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…_

The scimitar punctured the wispy creature's stomach and he stopped in mid attack, looking down at the blade with an amused expression on his face. "…And just what were you expecting **that** to do…?" He finally asked with a laugh while patting the hilt of the weapon still embedded in him. "This one isn't even glowing **red**…"

(L) _I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who __**stand**__, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy __**hand**_Lina continued to chant silently while slowly standing and locking eyes with the demon.

(Fi) "If you're going to kill her, **then** _**kill**_ her Rahtarimu." Filzinia said shortly. "Zifolis and your bumbling clone should be finishing up soon."

"Yeah whatever, just let me have a little more fun." Rahtarimu replied while closing in on the sorceress, but before he was in arm's reach… his confidence began to waver as he caught a flash of something unsettling in the redhead's unwavering ruby colored gaze. _What was that look just now…? _"No last words, oh she of the legendarily small breasts…?" He attempted to goad while fighting off a creeping nervousness.

(L) _Let the __**fools**__ who stand before me be __**destroyed**__ by the power you and I __**possess**__…!_

The sorcery genius finished mentally while jutting both palms out mere inches from the demon's face, her pupils dilating as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her before constricting as she went to fire, but before she had a chance to utter the trigger words, Rahtarimu doubled over in pain clutching his stomach, the hilt of Twinkle protruding there beginning to glow a brilliant electric blue.

(Ra) "Wha - - what the **hell** did you just do to me?!" The wispy monster wheezed before beginning to scream in agony as the inky color of his skin began to fade around the entry point of the blade and radiate outwards toward the rest of his body.

(L) _Twinkle is reacting with his body somehow…? If that's the case it looks like there's been a change of plans! _Lina thought to herself, watching the spectacle in awe a second before taking a deep shaky breath while holding a hand out slightly in front of her palm up. _There something I've meaning to try anyway. _"Chiba, return to me." She called quietly underneath the cover of Rahtarimu, who was still writhing in pain and howling above her.

Sure enough, the blade that had been disarmed from the redhead earlier, returned to her hand following a soft golden glow. _I thought that might work considering the blades are bound to my essence, but it looks like Kat's charge is finally starting to fade on it, better make this quick…!_

(Fi) "What in the name of Ruby Eye is **wrong**, Rahtarimu - -" The red demoness began before faltering as her Mazoku companion was cut in two by a flash of crimson revealing the sorcery genius beneath, the still glowing scimitar that had been buried in his stomach beginning to fall before it was caught by Lina as his body dispersed into black smoke with one last echoing scream.

"What did… how did you get that **back**??" Filzinia balked.

"That's for me to know, and you **not** to find out!" The sorcery genius said while taking a combat stance with a smirk.

"W-why won't you just… **DIE**!?!" The red demoness exclaimed before throwing back her head with a roar as a vortex of unholy purplish black energy swirled around her and she began to grow in size, sprouting four new arms and charging a rapidly growing energy ball in each. "Let's see you survive me blowing this entire place to hell!"

"…You have **got** to be fricking….. **Kidding** _**me**_!" Lina exclaimed while throwing up an arm as she was forced back by the sudden whirlwind of energy. _How can she build up that much energy that quickly?? I don't even have time to try a counter spell…!_

Suddenly, there was a flash of brilliant light as a massive vertical pillar of searing white energy shot down and engulfed the Mazoku from above, leaving nothing but a circular scorch mark where she'd been.

"Who the hell was that…?" The redhead asked while looking up for the owner of the attack.

(?) "It seems you're neck deep in trouble as usual, Lina Inverse." A tall, not quite human looking figure with white and magenta armor said while floating down to eye level.

"_**Sirius**_, great **timing**!!" Lina exclaimed before the sound of a sizeable explosion several yards away drew her attention. _That's gotta mean that Kat's still taking those two on…! _"Listen, I'll talk with ya later Sirius, but do me a favor and help out Gourry and Sylphiel Ok?" She asked while indicating the direction they were in.

"I recall Gourry Gabriev, but I do not know of this Syl - -"

"Just get Gourry The Sword of Light and give em a hand will ya!?" The sorcery genius reiterated before taking off in the direction of the last explosion in a dead sprint.

(Sir) _She's just as uncanny as ever. _The Overworlder thought while calling the bladeless hilt forth from a small dimensional pocket. "Gorunova, seek the one known as Gourry Gabriev, your rightful Master." With this the sword hilt faded from view and Sirius teleported in the direction that Lina had indicated in search of the blonde swordsman himself.

(G) "Just try and hold out a little longer Sylphiel!" Gourry encouraged while propping himself up with his sword and breathing heavily with blood streaming down the side of his face as the two of them crouched behind a wavering Ballus Wall with Rahtarimu on the other side assaulting it with a energy beam and laughing as gleefully as ever.

The shrine maiden winced as she forced herself to fight through the fatigue and stay focused, the color beginning to drain from her hair as she neared the end of her magic reserves. "I'll do my best, Gourry dear…!" She managed through gritted teeth.

(Ra) "Isn't this fun shrine maiden??" The Mazoku called. "I can do this all day, how about you?!"

(G) _I know she can't and he knows it too! _The swordsman savant thought to himself angrily. _But, what can I do…? At the beginning I could distract him and get him to attack me, but now he's only paying attention to Sylphiel, and all of our cover has been destroyed so we can't even hide anymore to try and catch our breath…__**How**__ am I supposed to fight him if my sword has no __**affect**__ on him?! _He continued to himself while punching the ground in frustration.

Sylphiel looked over at the blonde warrior with a weak but genuine smile on her face at this uncharacteristic display. "Don't worry Gourry dear, I'm sure everything will turn out just fine!" She said before furrowing her brow in renewed determination and drawing on reserves she didn't know she had to reinforce the barrier spell once more.

"Sylphiel…" The blonde warrior said before trailing off as he suddenly noticed the color of her hair fading from black to white before his very eyes. _That's the same thing that happened to Lina when she used up all her magic during the first big battle that she, me, and Zel had together…_

_I remember, she pushed herself so hard that she didn't even have the strength to stand afterwards…_

_And here I am wasting energy on being negative while Sylphiel's giving it all she's got just to try and keep us __**alive**__…_ "You're **right** Sylphiel!" He finally agreed with her, and even before those words had completely formed on his lips, a small dimentional pocket opened in front of him revealing Gorunova.

"M-my sword…!" Gourry gasped while reaching out and gripping the hilt in wonder. "But where did you come from…?" He asked in reverence as the legendary sword glimmered in his grasp.

In the middle of his musing, a strained but quiet gasp from the raven haired girl as she continued to hold the barrier with all she had snapped him back to reality. _I really don't understand any of this, but I know what I have to do. _The swordsman savant thought to himself before standing up and stepping in front of an exhausted Sylphiel. "You can go ahead and rest now Sylphiel, I'm sorry you had to push yourself so hard." He said while aiming the bladeless hilt at the point that the beam was impacting with the barrier spell with a smirk. _Thank you for coming back to me._

"**Light** come _**forth**_!" He said triumphantly, the blade of light surging forth as brightly as he'd ever remembered it as if in greeting of it's rightful Master.

(S) "The Sword of Light…?" The shrine maiden asked as her vision began to blur and the barrier began to collapse. _Thank the Gods, but… how…? _She wondered as she lost consciousness, falling to the ground in a faint.

(Ra) _What does that moron think he's doing…this is just too rich! _The demon thought as he watched the blonde warrior step up to the failing barrier directly in front of the energy beam's point of impact with it. "Say goodbye idiot swordsman!" The demon taunted as the Ballus Wall collapsed and the surge of unholy energy went rushing forth unhindered.

"If you **insist**." The swordsman savant replied as the beam clashed with Gorunova and was absorbed into the sword as the mazoku's eyes widened.

"Where the **hell** did he get _**that**_??" The wispy creature exclaimed in dismay.

"**Good…..**_**bye**_!" The blonde warrior shouted while expelling the beam back at the demon with a mighty swing, slaying the demon with his own attack spell.

_Is it over…?_ He thought to himself while glancing around warily for a long moment as the dust cleared before looking back at the still unconscious not so raven haired anymore girl and deenergizing his sword of light as he plopped down next to her with a weary sigh. _I wonder if Lina and Katibree are Ok…? I think I heard some explosions before, but I'm not sure…_

(Sir) "I see Gorunova has made it's way to it's proper owner after all, Gourry Gabriev." Sirius said while touching down in front of the two of them a few minutes later.

"**Hey**, you're the guy in charge of taking care of the weapons of light right?" Gourry asked while looking up from his seat on the ground.

Sirius nodded affirmatively at this. "Lina Inverse sent for my assistance quite some time ago, however I was only just recently able to free myself of my duties in my world to travel to this world and deliver the Sword of Light as requested."

"Lina sent you?" The swordsman savant asked while standing with some effort before clasping both swords to his belt. "Can you take me to where she is?" He asked while kneeling and picking the still unconscious shrine maiden up in his arms.

"I recall the general direction that she headed in after she asked me to aide you; it should not be to hard to find her." The Overworlder replied while gazing off across the canyon.

Several miles from where either skirmish had started, yet another blast of magic shook the surrounding area; the aftershock sending Katibree hurtling through the air once more.

"Oof…!" The ex-assassin grunted while attempting to twist her body in mid air to right herself in order to rebound off of something.

(Zi 1) "We've got your number **now** half breed!" A Zifolis said while teleporting behind her as she sailed through the air, slashing her diagonally across the back with a forearm blade and following the attack up with an elbow smash that sent her crashing to the ground.

"**Uargh**!" The half drow exclaimed while crashing into the ground. Still reeling from the impact, the half drow lifted herself up from the ground slightly while coughing up blood, her fatigued arms straining with the effort. _Come on, suck it up… you've __**trained**__ harder than this! _She exclaimed mentally while willing her body to respond as she saw a growing shadow on the ground beneath her; finally, her aching muscles heeded her and she was just barely able to roll out of the way in time as a Zifolis came down in a double armed stab where she'd just been.

As the mostly platinum haired warrior rolled, the second Zifolis warped above her and attacked, forcing her to bring up both the short sword and slicer to block the assault which brought her rolling momentum to a dead stop as the two sets of blades locked and ground together, the crimson charge in her weapons beginning to falter along with the last of her strength.

The first Zifolis warped next to the second with a sharply toothed grin before kneeling and putting his own blade to the throat of the grounded half elf as she continued to blade struggle with the other. "Checkmate." He said.

(Zi 2) "Do you have anything to say before we rip that pretty little head of yours from your body half elf…?" The Zifolis pinning her sneered.

"I've just got one question actually…" Katibree managed as her own blades where slowly being forced back toward her neck.

(Zi 1) "This should be good!" One copy said to the other with a smirk.

The ex-assassin couldn't help but just smile as she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure sprinting up behind the Mazoku copies with the biggest fucking energy sword she'd ever seen in her life forming in her hands.

(L) _Oh Gods __**please**__ let me make it in time…! _The sorcery genius though desperately while forcing herself to run all the harder as she completed the attack spell.

(Zi 2) "Alright, well let's hear it then half breed… it's not like you have all day." The second Zifolis jeered while pushing down against the ex-assassin's own blades hard enough to draw blood.

"Well I was just wondering…" The half elf began with a wince as the blades bit into her throat.

"When I tell you two to go fuck yourselves, does that count as gay sex…… or masturbation?" She finally asked, her smile breaking into an all out grin.

"_**Ragnaaa**_ _**BLADE**_!!!" Lina cried from behind them, slashing through first one monster and then the other, slaying them in a single stroke before they'd even had a chance to completely turn their heads at the sound of her voice.

Katibree watched the monsters disintegrate in a plume of black wisps with a quiet laugh. "Lina Inverse to the rescue…my hero…" She teased weakly while looking up at the younger girl with a tired smile, removing the weapons from her abused throat and letting her arms drop to either side of her, the charge on either of the blades flickering on last time before fading altogether.

"That was allot closer than I'd ever care to cut it." The redhead replied as she dispelled the huge black blade of crackling energy before dropping to her knees next to the larger girl while catching her breath. "Those two really put you through the wringer…" She added noticing the half elf's unusual lack of bravado with growing concern. "Are you badly hurt?"

"I've had better days… but I'll live, Red." The mostly platinum haired warrior said while sitting up with some serious effort. "What about you?"

"Let's just say, if anymore copies show up… we're probably going to have to hand them a rain check." The sorceress answered with a weary little sigh.

Katibree raised a mostly platinum colored eyebrow at this. "A rain check huh, I can see it now…" She began before pretending to write something down and doing her best secretary imitation in a silky voice.

"I apologize for the inconvenience Mazoku scum, 'Inverse Ass Whoopings' is no longer taking customers at this time; would you care to reschedule the appointment…?"

Lina giggled at this before drawing the half elf into her arms for what was supposed to be a quick hug, but after the older girl returned the embrace with one of her own, the sorcery genius couldn't bring herself to pull away and instead found herself holding on all the tighter while squeezing her ruby colored eyes shut as an unexpected lump began to form in her throat.

"Kat, I…**"** The sorceress attempted before trailing off with a difficult swallow. "I'm… I'm just glad you're Ok... I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." She finally finished while pulling away slightly to look at the half elf, trailing a hand down the side of her face with a slight blush.

The larger girl closed her lavender colored eyes and turned her face into the palm of the younger girl's hand, allowing herself a moment to savor the touch that she'd just come so close to never feeling again before looking at the redhead once more with an uncharacteristically serious but gentle expression on her face.

"Red, I'd endure walking through the flames of hell itself without a complaint if that's what it took to get to you on the other side… and you know it." She finally replied quietly.

Tears welded up in Lina's ruby colored eyes at this. "You wouldn't have to…" She said while leaning in for a kiss. "…Because I'd meet you halfway."

Just then, a large whirling globe of light appeared nearby with a blast of air, causing the two girls to jerk away from each other before looking up at it. The globe floated stationary a moment in mid air before finally touching down and dispersing to reveal Sirius, Gourry, and a groggy but now conscious Sylphiel as the two girls stood hurriedly.

(K) _Great timing…_Katibree thought to herself while rubbing her neck with an embarrassed little laugh.

(L) _We know they're Ok now at least... but now the question is… how much of that did Gourry and Sylphiel see just now…?_ The sorcery genius thought while wiping her eyes absently before giving the group a little wave. _Well if Gourry noticed anything, he either doesn't care, didn't comprehend what he saw, or is an __**amazing**__ actor._

(G) "Hey, it looks like you two pulled through alright!" Swordsman Savant called cheerfully as the group made their way toward the sorceress and ex-assassin duo.

(L) "Yeah, piece of cake…!" The redhead joked uneasily while holding up a victory sign while Sirius and Katibree merely observed each other wordlessly.

(S) _If I didn't know any better…_Sylphiel mused to herself before trailing off. _Well it's not like I could see very well at all from inside the teleportation globe, and I am very tired… _She continued to herself unsurely. _I suppose Miss Lina could have been leaning forward to heal Miss Katibree…Wait what am I thinking, Miss Lina is in love with Gourry dear…_She deducted a little sadly. _I must have just been seeing things…but I almost wish I hadn't - -_

(L) "World calling Sylphiel…!" Lina said while waving her hand in front of the not so raven haired girl's face with a grin, snapping her out of her thoughts.

(S) "Oh, I'm sorry Miss Lina, I was just… lost in thought." The shrine maiden said before blushing vividly at what she'd just been 'thinking' about.

"No kidding!" The sorcery genius replied while studying the taller girl's body language. _Yup, she definitely saw __**something**_"Anyway, welcome to the threshold club Sylphiel!" She added while patting her on a gold-trimmed shoulder guard.

(S) "The threshold club..?" Sylphiel asked unsurely.

(L) "That's right, once your magic reserves are at their limit, you've reached your threshold and if you push yourself pass that point… without passing out that is, you start to draw on your own essence to keep casting." Lina explained while taking a lock of the shrine maiden's silverish colored hair in her hand and showing to her. "And when you do that… this happens." She finished while giving the color drained lock of hair a little wriggle to stress her point.

(Sir) "So you are the newest addition to Lina Inverse's comrades?" The Overworlder asked Katibree.

"I'd say it's pretty safe to put it that way, yes" The ex-assassin replied. _So this is what an Overworlder looks like… _"The name's Katibree."

"Katibree…" Sirius mused for a moment. "Are you a sibling of the one known as Zelgadis Greywords?" He finally asked.

The half drow closed her eyes with a stress mark at this. "**No**…. I am **not** related to Greywords in **any** way, and I'd really appreciate it if people would **stop** asking me that…" She finally replied quietly.

(G) "**See**, I'm not the **only** one who thought that after seeing her for the first time!" Gourry laughed while twirling the hilt of Gorunova around.

(K) "Don't **start**, Gabriev." Katibree shot at him with an added stress-mark, causing the blonde warrior to laugh all the harder as Lina walked up unable to keep from giggling at the little exchange herself.

(L) "Rumors of Kat actually being Zel's long lost sister aside…" The sorcery genius began before stifling a laugh. "I was wondering if you could do us another little favor before you head back to your world again, Sirius."

"What is it that you require, Lina Inverse?" The Overworlder turned to the sorceress to ask.

"Do you know where Seyruun is…?"

"I know the location of the Holy Kingdom, yes." Sirius affirmed with a nod.

"Well, as you can see… we're all in pretty bad shape here." The redhead laughed with a sweat-drop. "Could ya give us a lift back to our campsite to get our stuff and then teleport us to Seyruun…?" She asked while placing both palms together in a gesture of pleading with a huge grin on her face.

The Overworlder considered this a moment while giving the weathered looking crew another once over. _This should be within my capacity to do… _"Which direction is this… 'campsite' in?" He finally asked.

(L) "Alriiiiight!" Lina cheered.

(G) "Yeah, no more walking!" Gourry agreed happily.

(S) "Oh, thank you very much Mr. Sirius…!" Sylphiel said.

(K) "Much obliged, Overworlder." Katibree added quietly. "The campsite is just past that forest over there and overlooking a cliff."

"I understand Katibree of no relation to Zelgadis Greywords." Sirius replied with another affirmative nod.

The ex-assassin folded her arms and stress-marked at this statement as the rest of the group snickered quietly. "If you wanted my real full title… all you had to do was **ask**." She said almost sullenly.

And with this, the gang was surrounded in another globe of white light and whisked away in the eventual direction of Seyruun.

Just as the group was whisked away, a familiar mysterious priest teleported in. "That was quite the battle…" Xellos mused to himself while looking in the direction of the campsite on the other side of the forest. _It got so close at times that I was beginning to wonder if I'd be forced to blow my cover and step in… That would have been… most unfortunate and difficult to explain convincingly…I'm sure that Lina at least suspects that I'm following her, and as shrewd as she is, chances are she's at least partially figured out what Beast Master's interest in her girlfriend is…_

_This battle does answer a few things, but leaves me with even more questions… _The Mazoku thought to himself while kneeling down and examining a scorch mark left by one of Katibree's energy blasts. _That sword that Lina was using was quite unusual… it looked to have a normal blade, yet was able to harm a Mazoku… could this be the item that Lord Beast Master was speaking of…? And if that's the case, was Lina so hesitant to use it because she suspected I was watching the skirmish? _The mysterious priest wondered to himself.

_It's also obvious at this point that Lina is still trying to keep the fact that she and Katibree are dating a secret…But I'll have my fun with that one eventually. _He continued to himself with an amused little cackle.

_On another note completely, it seems as if Soshurn has turned to using forbidden practices in an attempt to gain more power…I wonder if Beast Master will deal with this matter personally or simply let him ruin himself fighting Lina which always inevitably happens… _

"Huuuum…" The trickster priest finally said out loud. "I suppose I'd best go report my findings then." He added before phasing out once more.


	54. Chapter 54

(Sir) "Is this the place you required, Lina Inverse?" Sirius inquired after the group of adventurers ported in and settled down in the middle of a large, fairly populated road, much to the surprise of the town's folk passing by.

"Uh… I think this is a couple of towns over from where we actually need to be, but this'll do; thanks Sirius." The redhead replied distractedly.

"Very well, then I shall take my leave." The Overworlder said before teleporting away as a small crowd of curious bystanders began to gather around the disheveled group while murmuring amongst themselves.

(S) "Take care Mr. Sirius - - Oh, he didn't even bother to say good bye…" Sylphiel said somewhat dejectedly.

(G) "Uuuuurgh…" Gourry suddenly groaned while pinching his nose shut. "Did this place smell like this the last time we were here Lina…?"

"I'm pretty sure it didn't, Gourry." Lina replied quietly as she took in the renovations still being made to this particular town nearly two weeks after the 'mysterious' mother of all tsunamis had made it's way to the former inner barrier shores without warning. _I can't believe how extensive the damage is even this far away from the shore…And Zephilia's even closer to the shore than Seyruun is…_She thought to herself while watching a pair of well muscled men busting up a rotting wooden deck across the way.

(G) "Well, if it didn't smell this way before… what's making it smell this way now?" The swordsman savant asked.

(S) "It's all the sea water from that tidal wave that hit a while ago, Gourry dear." Sylphiel answered while surveying the damage herself. "It takes quite some time to recover from a natural disaster of that magnitude, and the smell is just one of the side effects of it."

(K) "Wouldn't it be better for us to discuss this while **not** standing in the middle of the road to be stared at like some sideshow attraction…?" Katibree finally said with some irritation after a child who had been staring at her, tugged on his mother's dress and began to blatantly point. _Perfect timing to go and get my cloak set on fire…_

(L) "Yeah, let's move." The sorceress agreed in a tone so downtrodden that she drew glances of varying levels of concern from all three of her traveling companions. _I know I would have gotten a communication if anything serious had happened at home, so I know Mom and Dad are Ok at least… but it's just been eating at me lately no matter how hard I try to ignore it. There's no way around it, I __**really**__ screwed up this time…_She continued to brood to herself as they made their way ever closer to the capital.

"Miss Lina, is… everything alright?" The shrine maiden couldn't help but ask after several minutes of uncharacteristic silence from the sorcery genius.

The question being directed at her snapped Lina out of her thoughts. _Oh right… no good letting group morale slip…_ She thought before turning to the taller girl and giving her a serious look. "Not really Sylphiel…" She finally answered.

"Oh, then what is bothering you Miss Lina…?" The not so raven haired anymore girl asked worriedly.

"Well it's just that…" The redhead began before trailing off with a sigh.

"Yes…?" Sylphiel coxed gently.

"It's just that…………………. I'm so **hungry** that I was worried I might not be able to hold out until we can get to Amelia's place for free royal cuisine!" Lina finally said while rubbing the back of her neck with a laugh to face-faults all around.

(S) "Miss Lina… you never change…" The shrine maiden giggled while picking herself up off the ground with a sweat-drop.

(G) "And here she actually had me worried…" The blonde swordsman deadpanned while following suit.

(K) "Nice curveball there, Lina." The half elf chuckled while dusting herself off.

"Thank you, **thank** you, I'll be here **all** week!" The redhead said while showboating with a deep bow.

(G) "Yeah, yeah…" Gourry laughed. "But all joking aside, food really sounds like a great idea right now…!"

(L) "Can't bring yourself to wait until we get to the castle eh Gourry?" Lina joked before sobering somewhat after catching a glimpse of a town guard scrutinizing Katibree and beginning to approach until he spotted the sorcery genius with her and deciding against it. _That's __**right**__; I nearly forgot…Someone of Kat's 'talents' isn't exactly going to be welcome here._

(G) "Well, I was doing alright until you mentioned food…" The swordsman savant answered somewhat sheepishly.

(S) "I'm actually really hungry as well..." Sylphiel piped up shyly.

(L) _That's only to be expected… I'm actually really impressed that she's even on her feet right now… _"I guess it can't be helped then…" The redhead replied with a smile. "You two go ahead and grab something for the road real quick, but I'm saving all **my** space for royal **cuisine**!" She added while rubbing her tummy.

(G) "Alight, suit yourself Lina!" Gourry said cheerfully before jogging off in the direction of the market place with Sylphiel close behind him.

(S) "Oh, Miss Katibree… were you coming too…?" The shrine maiden stopped jogging after the swordsman savant to look back and call.

"No, I'm fine for now… but thanks for asking Sylphiel." Katibree replied with a little wave.

(L) "Just meet us back here, Ok Sylphiel…?" Lina added with a grin.

"You betcha Miss Lina!" The taller girl affirmed before running off once more.

Just as the shrine maiden disappeared into the market place's crowd of towns folk, a familiar grumbling sound caught the ex-assassin's attention and she glanced over at the sorcery genius just in time to see the younger girl bend over while clutching her stomach and groaning miserably.

Katibree lifted a mostly platinum colored eyebrow in amusement at this. "Any particular reason you didn't just go with them, Red…?" She asked wryly.

"Because I needed to talk to you in **private** of course." The sorceress answered sharply as she stood upright once more before shooting the larger girl a don't-play-dumb look.

The half elf sobered at this warning sign of the redhead's growing moodiness and merely nodded wordlessly.

_Ah……__**damn**__ it…_The sorcery genius swore to herself while smoothing her crimson colored mane after realizing she'd just snapped. "…Sorry about that Kat, I've just… had allot on my mind lately." She added quietly.

"I don't mind, you have to put up with my quirks too remember?" The ex-assassin replied with a wink.

"Yeah, that **is** true…" Lina said while scratching the back of her head with a little smile.

"So what's up…?"

"Well… this is actually **about** one of your 'quirks' ironically enough." The redhead began tentatively. "I mean, I understand that you were practically born and raised as an Ethereal Dagger, and that after the events that transpired with your Guild… you proudly wear your assassin's gear in honor of their sacrifices..."

The half elf sighed in resignation at this unavoidable discussion before finally speaking. "I already know where you're going with this Red; and I'm sorry, but I'm not going to take the coward's way out here." She began to explain while gazing up at the sky. "I may be a different person now, but I refuse to just blatantly **deny** who I was in the past or belittle the memories of the only family I've ever known."

_Your pride and the past you is exactly what's likely to get you executed here…_Lina thought to herself while tussling her hair in frustration. "Look Kat, I understand where you're coming from, and it wasn't so bad before when you had your cloak… but now it's just glaringly obvious and I've already told you something about the history of this kingdom…" "Even if we went and bought you a new one, the guards here are trained to spot- -"

"Look, I'm not budging on this one Lina…" Katibree replied quietly but firmly, locking eyes with the sorceress once more. "It… it means too much to me…" She added more softly, the quiet sadness and chaotic swirl of other countless emotions she was struggling with showing deep within her lavender orbs.

_I can't __**stand **__it when she looks at me like that…_The redhead complained to herself while averting her ruby colored eyes as she felt her argument begin to crumble before her very eyes. "I know it does… but…" She tried once more before trailing off and just giving the older girl a conflicted look that told the half elf more than words ever could.

_Don't do this to me Red… this is already hard enough as it is…_The mostly platinum haired warrior thought to herself while averting her own eyes as she fought the urge to simply turn into a puddle of half elf right then and there. "Look if you're really so worried about it, I can just do like I did in Zephilia and camp out- -"

"**Absolutely** _**not**_." The redhead interjected more forcefully than she had intended to. "I…I don't want… it's just too dangerous alright?" She finally managed.

After fighting off a stubborn surge of pride, Katibree agreed much to the younger girl's relief. "…You're right, that was definitely a bad idea… and staying at an Inn in town wouldn't be much better I'd think…" She continued to muse.

The sorcery genius watched the larger girl troubleshoot their predicament in silence a short while before finally just giving in. "Kat… can we drop the aloof, platonic act a second here?"

The ex-assassin raised a mostly platinum colored eyebrow once more at this statement. "Didn't we already nearly get caught doing that earlier back in that canyon?" She asked in amusement.

The redhead couldn't help but giggle at this. "That's not what I meant, so shut up already and just let me talk Ok?".

"I'm listening…" The half elf replied while stifling a laugh.

"Alright….look…" The redhead began while rubbing the back of her neck flusteredly as she struggled to put how she was feeling into words. "With the holy barrier radiating from the center of this kingdom, chances are you'd be just fine at an Inn here… but, I…I want you… nearby… not at some place way across town..." She began while looking down at the ground as she felt her cheeks begin to heat up.

(L) "I mean, I know this is gonna sound stupid… because…well, because it's not like we don't still see each other everyday or anything but…" She tried to continue before trailing off and forcing herself to meet the older girl's gaze with an even more pronounced blush. "But, it's just not the same and… I...I miss you Kat…" "Just come with me to the castle and… I'll figure out something alright?"

"I don't think that sounded stupid at all, but that might just be because I feel the same way…" Katibree replied with a chuckle as her own cheeks began to redden at the sorceress's unexpected display of vulnerability. "Seyruun Castle it is."

"It looks like it's settled then." Lina said with a tired little smile. "And you still want to walk to the gates of Seyruun Castle just as you are…?" She reiterated one last time.

"Without a doubt." The half drow affirmed with a nod.

"_You do know that putting yourself through this isn't going to make things right or bring them back, don't you babe?" _The sorceress asked with a sad expression on her face.

"_I know, but I feel… this is the least I can do." _Katibree answered with a melancholy little smile.

Lina looked up at the sky, scratching the back of her head with a resigned sigh at this. "Alright, well you know you've got my full support then… but I still say this is crazy."

"If that's the case, with half the plans you normally come up with…you should feel right at home with the idea." The ex-assassin teased and was immediately rewarded with a whack in the arm.

"…Anyway, all the town guards will probably recognize and not question me…" Lina continued after stifling a laugh. "So we most likely won't have to worry at all until we've made it clear to the actual castle gates leading inside the palace." "But once we're inside…" The sorcery genius began while looking at the older girl, all humor gone from her face. "There's a very good chance that I won't be able to prevent you from being apprehended, and there's no telling what could happen while I'm trying to find Phil or Amelia to order your release."

"I understand." The half drow replied with a small nod.

(G) "Understand what?" Gourry asked around a mouthful of hotdog as he came walking up along with Sylphiel, sporting a sizable cache of various other foods under the crook of one arm.

(L) "Oooooh…… just the fact that Kat here is likely to get arrested and possibly executed once we get to Seyruun's capital is all." The redhead turned to the swordsman savant and answered with a dismissive gesture.

"But **why**??" / "How _**terrible**_!" Both Gourry and Sylphiel blurted simultaneously.

(K) "Relax guys, it's not that big of a deal." The ex-assassin said with a disinterested shrug.

(S) "Since **when** did being arrested and possibly **executed** become 'not that big of a deal?'" The shrine maiden balked.

(G) "**Yeah**, and why would they want to do that **anyway**?" The blonde warrior added in dismay.

(L) "Well, although Kat had nothing to do with it, it's all because of an incident that happened involving Amelia's mother several years ago." The sorceress began to explain as she started to walk in the direction of the kingdom's capital once more, prompting the group to follow suit.

(G) "Amelia has a mother?" Gourry asked in surprise before popping a whole pork bun into his mouth.

(L) "Amelia **had** a mother, but she was killed by an assassin that they later found out went by the name of Booley." Lina replied as Sylphiel covered her mouth with a gasp.

The ex-assassin's lavender colored eyes narrowed at this, but she remained silent and merely continued to listen.

(G) "Amft, sfo becomse ovf fthaft…" The swordsman began before swallowing his food and continuing once more. "…Seyruun is always on super high alert for assassins now, right Lina?" He finally asked.

"That's right Gourry." The redhead affirmed.

(S) "But, Miss Katibree… I thought you said that you had quit that business." Sylphiel said in an inquiring tone.

"I have, but there's no way for the guards protecting this city to know that." The half elf answered back quietly.

(S) "Well if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to just change out of your - -"

(L) "Don't even waste your breath Sylphiel." The sorcery genius interjected with a sigh. "I already suggested that and she refused, so if she wants to walk to the palace gates just as she is… then…. I guess it can't be helped."

(S) "But I don't understand… if any conflict could be avoided by Miss Katibree just…" The shrine maiden began before trailing off as Gourry placed his free hand on her shoulder-guard with a warm smile.

"The way I see it, when Katibree and I first met and she told me her full title… she introduced her Guild in place of her hometown." The blonde warrior began before turning his head to look over at the mostly platinum haired warrior meaningfully. "And you did add the word 'former' to that title didn't you Katibree?" He asked.

"That's right Gabriev." The ex-assassin replied.

"If that's the case and she's still wearing her gear, she didn't quit… which basically still makes her a member…" The swordsman savant continued. "And that probably means that something bad happened to where she can't go back."

(S) "But I still don't understand what any of that has to do with doing something as reckless as this when a simple change of clothes would probably solve the problem all together…" Sylphiel began to protest once more.

(L) "To put an end to this Sylphiel…" Lina began before trailing off to make sure she had the shrine maiden's full attention. "Katibree taking the easy way out and switching clothes is basically the equivalent of you agreeing to dishonor the memory of your Father and pretend he never raised you, as well as deny you have any ties to Sairaag just because you may be persecuted for it."

"I-I see…" The shrine maiden stammered. "Miss Katibree, I'm sorry… I didn't realize…"

"It's alright Nels Rada, it's not like you knew." The half drow reassured her with a little smirk.

(L) "Alright guys, it's show time." The sorcery genius said just before the disheveled party of four made their way to the gates of Seyruun palace. "Just let me do the talking and follow my lead."

(K) "Wouldn't have it any other way." The ex-assassin said wryly.

(G) "You said it!" The swordsman savant agreed before promptly polishing off the last of his food.

As the group got to the massive gates being guarded by two sentries on either side who were dressed in Seyruun's traditional cerulean and white armor, the guard on the left shifted uncomfortably but made no move to stop them, however the guard on the right of the entrance was more seasoned and barred the entrance of the gates with his spear while glaring directly at Katibree.

"State your occupation and business here." The burly man ordered suspiciously.

(L) "**Look** buddy, everyone you see **behind** me, is **with** me." The redhead began shortly. "Now as you can probably already tell, I've had a **very**… bad day and considering that I'm an honored guest here, that gives you **two** choices." She continued while holding up her white gloved hand and extending her pointer finger to stress option number one.

"Choice number one is, you open up the gates and get the hell outta my way…" Lina continued while burning a hole into the guard with her ruby colored eyes and extending a second finger to stress option number two. "And the other choice you have… is me opening the gates **myself** by putting **you** _**through**_ them… So which is it gonna **be**…?"

With this, the guard began to look somewhat blue in the face before hurriedly turning to the other guard and ordering him to help with the gates while sweat-dropping. "M-my apologies for the inconvenience Miss Lina Inverse…"

Lina merely strolled through the opening gates wordlessly with a careless flip of her hair and flair of her cape as the rest of the group followed close behind.

(G) _"Man…if I didn't know any better, I'd be convinced this castle was actually __**hers**__ the way she just laid into that guy…" _Gourry whispered to Katibree and Sylphiel.

(S) _"Miss Lina has always been like that…" _The shrine maiden agreed.

(K) _"Power, an air of authority, and intimidation are some of the best qualities to have when it comes to getting what you want."_ The ex-assassin said before falling silent once more as they all made their way up to the towering doors of Seyruun Castle.

As soon as the sorcery genius got to the doors, she immediately folded her arms and glared at first one sentry and then the other with an I-don't-have-all-damn-day expression on her face before beginning to tap a foot impatiently, causing the guards to apologize while scrambling to open the doors after a short, extremely uncomfortable silence.

(K) _"And those qualities are something that Lina's got for __**miles**__…" _Katibree continued after they were out of earshot of the guards at the entrance of the castle.

(S) _"Miss Lina can be really scary when she wants to be…" _Sylphiel agreed. _"Sometimes I almost expect her to start breathing fire…"_

(G) _"Yeah, I'd have to say that she's definitely puts any dragon I've ever met to shame as far as tempers go - -"_

(L) "I _**can**_ **hear** you guys back there ya **know**…" Lina finally interjected with a stress-mark as she briskly led them down the conventional but still elaborately decorated hallways in the Seyruun colors of blue and white, before heading outside once more and into a royal courtyard area, cutting across it to take a shortcut to the honorary guest area.

Just then, a female elite guard who'd been monitoring their progress across the courtyard until this point, motioned for them to halt before walking up to the group. "Miss Lina Inverse - -" She began before being rudely interrupted by a certain fed up sorcery genius.

"**Look**, I'm hungry, cranky, sore, tired, and I **need** to**take**a_**bath**_." The redhead said irritably while placing her hands on her hips. "Now if I remember correctly, Princess Amelia passed down the order that 'Lina Inverse'… who would be **me… **as well as any guests that I may have with me at the time be accommodated in anyway possible at **all** times."

The elite guard's eyes shifted over to the ex-assassin uneasily at this. "Yes… her highness did pass down that order, however - -"

"**Let** me **guess**, you must have interpreted that order as meaning that Princess Amelia **actually** wanted you to **harass**, and _**inconvenience**_ her honored guests **instead**." Lina deadpanned while crossing her arms and glaring.

"……..I-I apologize for troubling you Miss Inverse." The elite sentry finally stammered before beginning to step out of their path to allow access.

(?) "Disregard that and continue to detain them Lieutenant." A tall, brash man in full ceremonial Seyruun plate called from behind the group.

"Y-yes sir." The lieutenant acknowledged with a salute.

(L) _Great, now what…? _The sorceress thought as everyone turned to face the approaching man who walked right up to the ex-assassin and stared down at her with obvious contempt.

(L) "…Ok, and just who the hell are **you**?" The sorcery genius demanded.

"I am Captain Tavarius Shemlee…. the appointed security advisor for the detection, apprehension, and execution of would be assassins specifically, and this must be my lucky day." The man replied, never taking his eyes off of Katibree. "And I must admit, for a woman… your 'guest' here certainly has quite the set of **balls**."

The half elf merely returned his gaze expressionlessly. _If you think __**I've**__ got a big pair, just wait until you see the set my girlfriend's packing Captain Douche…_She thought to herself wryly.

(CT) "Nothing to say, **assassin**?" The Captain practically spat as he began to circle her slowly while studying her gear.

(L) "She doesn't have to say anything, because she hasn't done anything wrong." Lina replied in a deceptively calm voice. "What part of Princess Amelia's order did you not understand?"

"The part that allows scum like this to roam freely within the Seyruun Castle walls just because she's in the company of an 'honored' guest." Tavarius replied cynically as his gaze fell upon the tiny Ethereal Daggers emblems engraved on the hilts of the half drow's slicers. "Restrain her and have her disarmed." He added as he continued to scrutinize her gear.

"What makes you think that you have the authority to override a **direct** order from the princess herself - -" The redhead began heatedly.

"The fact that the security regiment states that in the event of his Highness and Princess Amelia's absence, the final say in immediate security issues default to **me**." The Captain interrupted with a sneer as the Lieutenant moved forward to restrain Katibree as ordered. "I know, because I wrote it myself…" He continued while stopping to squint at the diagonally slashed area and then through the cut material on the half drow's back. "Of course…. you and the rest of your party are cleared to go, Miss Lina Inverse." He added disinterestedly while cocking his head to one side to get a better look at what had caught his attention.

(L) "I can handle this guys, go find Amelia and **or** Phil." Lina said quietly while straining to keep her temper in check as the Lieutenant shackled the ex-assassin's hands behind her back and removed her weapons.

(G) "But, **Lina** - -"

"_**Now**_, **Gourry**." The sorcery genius commanded before the shrine maiden could begin to protest as well.

"….Ok… but be **careful**, alright?" The swordsman savant said worriedly. "Come on Sylphiel." He added before running off with the shrine maiden hot on his heels.

(CT) "Well, well, well… it looks like we have her rank right here." Tavarius finally said before roughly grabbing hold of the torn material and ripping it open in a downward snatching motion to reveal the entire tattoo underneath, tearing skin and dried blood that had adhered to the leather from the half elf's wound as well.

(K) _Keep your cool, Red…_Katibree thought with a wince as she saw pure murder flash in the redhead's eyes. _This is what he wants… the Princess would have his head if he goes through with this without having probable cause and he knows it._

(CT) "…A Master Assassin!" The Captain exclaimed in genuine amusement.

(L) "_**Ex**_-Master Assassin." Lina corrected him with a very dangerous tone creeping into her voice. "You can't just **prosecute** her for something she doesn't **do** anymore."

"Don't be ridiculous, this line of business isn't something that you just get tired of doing and quit." Tavarius said dismissively before kicking the half drow in the back of her knees, forcing her to lose her balance and drop to them. "If she's achieved this rank and is still alive… you can believe she's still in the killing for hire business because **murder** is in her **blood**." He added while reaching for the hilt of his bastard sword, but before he could even begin to draw it, the blade of Twinkle was gleaming at his throat.

(L) "If I so much as **think** I see a glimmer of your sword guard separating from your sheath, you'll see who's **really** got murder in her blood." He redhead growled as the Lieutenant who had been looking on uneasily until this point unsheathed her 2 handed sword in alarm while several more guards of varying ranks came running from a distance.

(CT) "Are you **trying** to commit treason Lina Inverse…?" Tavarius asked with a snake-like smirk as the rest of the guards finally got to and surrounded the scene that was playing out. "You **do** realize that is a crime punishable by **death **do you not…?"

(L) _**Damn**__ it, this was just what this bastard was going for and he goaded me right into it! _The redhead finally realized. "The reason that I'm an honorary guest here to **begin** with is because I've done more for this Kingdom than you could **ever** possibly understand, and Phil and Amelia trust me unconditionally…" "I'd say that treason seems like more of **your** style 'Captain'." She shot back with a smirk.

"Your **past** credentials mean nothing to me, from where I'm standing you've brought an armed, paid murderer of the highest ranking into these royal walls and you were on your way to see her highness." The Captain replied smoothly. "And on top of that, you've brought it upon yourself to threaten a Captain of the Royal Seyruun Sentry in defense of this assassin, so to me… it's apparent where your 'loyalties' lie **now**."

"If you **think** I'd betray Amelia and Phil, **or** just stand by and watch you execute **any** friend of mine, you're more _**delusional**_ and **psychotic** than I originally **thought** you were." Lina retorted angrily, the check on her temper having reached it's limits.

(?) "**What** is the _**meaning**_ of **this**?!" An approaching, indignant, but familiar sounding female voice that was music to Lina's ears suddenly demanded from outside the circle of guards.

Immediately the circle of sentries began to part before one guard after another took a knee and a certain crowned Seyruun princess passed through with Gourry and Sylphiel close behind as Tavarius began to sweat and Lina broke into a grin with her scimitar still to the man's neck.

(L) "Looks like you blindly gambled on your hatred and lost, Tavarius."

(CT) "Y-your highness, allow me to explain - -" The Captain attempted.

"_**Silence**_!!" Amelia fumed. "Mr. Gourry and Miss Sylphiel have explained **more** than enough and this is absolutely unacceptable and **extremely** unjust!" "Remove Miss Katibree Do'Urden's restraints and return her things to her possession immediately!" She commanded, sending the surrounding guards into a flurry of motion before taking in the scene before her a moment more and noticing Lina still holding the scimitar to Tavarius' throat with a small frown.

(A) "**Lieutenant**, have Captain Shemlee disarmed and restrained." The Seyruun princess decreed while meeting and locking eyes with the sorcery genius as an understanding was communicated between the two of them wordlessly just like old times.

(LT) "Yes Your Highness." The woman replied with a bow before turning and bellowing the order to the other soldiers. "You **heard** our Princess men, does she need to say it **twice**?!"

(A) "Captain Shemlee, it is obvious from your actions today that you doubt my trust in Miss Lina's integrity and judgment…" Amelia began while turning to look at him as he was disarmed, restrained, and forced to his own knees with a grunt. "So perhaps… it would be better to let **actions** speak louder than words." She continued while piercing him with her brilliant cerulean gaze.

"Therefore Miss Lina, the fate of Mr. Tavarius Shemlee, current Captain of the Royal Seyruun Security Breech Preventions Sentry is now in your hands." The Seyruun princess finished.

The redhead couldn't help but smile at this. "Well Amelia, in my opinion it would only be just to have the person actually wronged by him decide his punishment…" She pondered while reaching back and underneath her cape to re-sheath her scimitar. "So… I guess the real question here would be… what would an 'assassin' do?" She finished while glancing over at Katibree who was clipping her weapons back on her belt.

"Well as an assassin, I'd definitely have him executed." The half elf replied while rubbing her wrists where the shackles had dug in as one sentry shoved the Captain's head down to further expose the back of his neck while the Lieutenant brought up her 2 handed sword for the killing blow.

"_**But**_…. I'm **not** that person anymore." She interjected to stop the execution. "I'm sure he's done **something** to benefit the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun at some time or other to obtain the rank of Captain, so even in light of his actions here today… it's only right that he receive a fair trial."

(A) "Now **that** was spoken like a **true** warrior of justice Mr. Shemlee!" The Seyruun Princess exclaimed while striking an inevitable justice pose with stars in her eyes to cheers and applause from the surrounding palace guards.

(K) "…T-true warrior of **justice**…?" The ex-assassin began to deadpan with a sweat-drop.

(L) _That's the Amelia we all know and love! _Lina though to herself with a grin while placing a hand on the half elf's shoulder. "Yeah, you didn't think I was just **kidding** about Amelia did ya…?" "You'll get used to it eventually."

(A) "This just goes to prove that although Miss Katibree's heart may have once been misguided and lost in the shadows of evil, the unfailing light of good **still** prevailed and guided her onto the path of justice and **truth**!" Amelia continued passionately. "And… although my friend Miss Lina may have her faults, the potential good in people is something that she's always been able to see and bring out." She added more somberly.

"So you see Mr. Shemlee, that decree was in no way to be taken lightly, because I do trust her unconditionally." "And although I allowed Miss Lina and ultimately Miss Katibree Do'Urden to decide your fate while you were still an appointed Captain to stress my point… you will **not** stand the trial that you were so graciously granted by them as such."

"Strip _**ex**_-captain Shemlee of his rank markings and armor, then have him confined to be processed later!" The Seyruun princess finished.

As Tavarius was pulled to his feet and escorted away while the remaining security dispersed, Amelia turned her attention to Lina once again with a warm smile.

"I guess it's not like I should have expected a **quiet** return when you finally did decide to visit Seyruun again…welcome **back** Miss Lina!" She finished before hugging the sorceress tightly.

"**Oof**, thanks Amelia… It's good to be back!" The redhead wheezed while returning the hug with a wince as her abused ribs received yet more punishment that she was now only more than happy to bear.

(A) "And welcome back as well Mr. Gourry and Miss Sylphiel, I'm just sorry our reunion couldn't have started out more pleasantly!" The Seyruun princess continued while giving first Sylphiel and then Gourry an enthusiastic hug as well.

(G) "Great seeing you again Amelia!" The blonde warrior said cheerfully.

(S) "It's good to see you too Miss Amelia!" Sylphiel replied with a grin.

With this, Amelia turned from the others to address Katibree with a dazzling smile of her own. "And welcome to the great Holy Kingdom of Seyruun as well, Miss Katibree Do'Urden!" She exclaimed. "And based on the devotion I see that my old comrades feel for you, welcome to the team as well!"

"Thank you, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, it's truely an honor." Katibree replied with a deep, cordial bow.

"There's no need to be so formal Miss Katibree…!" The Seyruun princess blurted with a slight blush. "As far as I'm concerned, you're practically family now, so calling me Amelia is just fine!" She added with an embarrassed laugh. "Anyway, you all look like you've been thrown right underneath a speeding carriage, what happened?"

(L) "It's a **really** long story, Amelia." Lina replied tiredly.

(A) "I understand Miss Lina, let's get you all to the healing section before we get into that then." The princess said before heading in the direction of the healing ward. "A feast is already in the process of being prepared as well." She added with a sly expression on her face that broke into an all out grin upon hearing the jubilant clamor of her friends.

_Just like old times! _Amelia thought to herself happily.


	55. Chapter 55

**Girl Talk**

(A) "And dinner is served!" Amelia said cheerfully as servant after servant filed in and began placing dish after dish of steaming platters of food on the huge banquet table.

(L) "Oooooooh, I think I just died and went to **heaven**!" Lina squealed while reaching for the first thing placed in front of her ravenously.

(G) "Oh yeah, **food**!" Gourry exclaimed while assaulting the closest platter of delicacies to him as well.

(S) "It all looks very delicious Miss Amelia!" Sylphiel agreed before selecting a crab cake from a platter near the food frenzied swordsman savant and taking a dainty bite from it.

(K) "You've definitely got more courage than I do Nels Rada, I'd be afraid I'd lose an arm over there." Katibree teased with a grin.

(S) "I've learned that the strategy to have when Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry are **this** hungry, is to get in and back out of the feeding frenzy as quickly and quietly as you can, or your likely to get nothing at all!" The shrine maiden replied with a laugh.

(A) "That sounds like sound logic to me…!" Amelia giggled while she watched the timeless charade unfold.

(L) "**Gourry**, I _**said**_ that was **mine…**!" Lina said through gritted teeth as she bit down one end of a baked chicken.

"I don't see your **name** on it!" Gourry retorted while biting down on the other end of it comedicly.

"I **already** claimed it, so my name doesn't **have** to be on it for it to be **mine**!" The redhead shot back before putting a boot against the blonde warrior's chest for leverage and grabbing hold of the chicken and yanking in an attempt to pry it from his teeth. "It's **rude** to keep a growing girl from food that's rightfully hers, so let **go**!"

"**Who's** growing, you've been the same size since the day we **met**!" Gourry retorted while attempting to yank the disputed bird back over to his side. "It's pretty amazing too, because as much as you eat, you'd think you'd be the size of a **house** by now!" He added.

"Heh, huh…huh…" The sorcery genius stopped struggling over the bird to laugh quietly while the swordsman took that opening to begin his devouring of his hard won chicken.

(S) "Oh dear…" Sylphiel said quietly.

(A) "Here it comes…" The Seyruun princess said with a sweat-drop.

(K) "You'd really think that Gabriev would learn by now - -"

"**Digger**….. _**BOLT**_!!" Lina exclaimed as the other side of the table lit up with bluish white light.

"AAAaaAAarrrRRGGGHHHHHH!"

(A) "And there it went." Amelia finished while placing a hand on her forehead and shaking her head. "Those two just haven't changed at all…"

(K) "I don't think she held back at all on that one." The ex-assassin said wryly before taking a sip of wine.

(S) "I don't think she did either…" The shrine maiden agreed while watching the continuing spectacle with a hand covering her mouth.

(A) "Anyway, why don't you tell me something about yourself Miss Katibree?" The Seyruun princess said pleasantly as the redhead worked on a fresh rant from across the table while placing a certain charred swordsman savant in various punishing wrestling holds.

(K) "Well, there really isn't much to tell." The half elf replied. "And of what there is to tell, you probably wouldn't care to hear most of anyway."

(A)"Oh I get it…" Amelia began coyly. "You're the silent, mysterious type too, huh?" _She does kind of remind me of Mr. Zelgadis, just like Mr. Gourry and Miss Sylphiel said…_

"Too…?" Katibree asked unsurely. _If I'm being compared to Greywords again, I __**swear**__ I'm going to go over there and strangle Gabriev __**myself**_

(L) "The 'mysterious' part I can agree with, but there's nothing 'silent' about Kat." The redhead said while sitting on the table with a huge drumstick as the well abused blonde warrior lay beneath her groaning miserably.

(A) "Welcome back, Miss Lina." The princess giggled.

(K) "And just what's that supposed to mean, Red?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked wryly.

"It **means…** that I couldn't get ya to shut up even if I wired your jaw shut." The sorceress said matter of factly around a mouthful of turkey.

"And the pot has just officially called the kettle black, ladies." The half drow said with a grin as the shrine maidens on either side of her began to giggle.

"Hey, I **admit** that I talk allot…" Lina said while stifling a laugh. "I'm just not gonna sit there and watch you feed Amelia a line of bull about you supposedly being some mysterious warrior of 'few words'." She said before polishing off the last of the drumstick. "Trust me Amelia, once she gets used to you… you won't be able to get her to shut up." She added before taking a drink of wine.

"I'll try and keep that in mind!" The Seyruun princess laughed. "So when did you start going by the nickname of 'Red' anyway Miss Lina?" She added as the sorcery genius promptly spat out her wine and begin to cough as Katibree did her best to keep a straight face. "Uhm…. Are you alright…?"

"…I'm fine Amelia…" The redhead managed. "Just got some… wine down the… wrong pipe…" _I'm gonna __**kill**__ her. _She thought to herself with a blush.

(S) "I meant to ask you about that too Miss Lina." Sylphiel chimed in after she saw the sorceress was ok. "I definitely think it suits you, but I've never known you to go by it before.

"Yeah well, it's kind of a… recent thing ya know…" The sorcery genius said with a nervous little laugh and dismissive gesture. _Going to frick-ing __**kill**__ her!_

(A) "I like it too!" Amelia said cheerfully. "Did Miss Katibree give you the nickname…?"

"Actually, she did." Lina answered uncomfortably before throwing back the rest of the contents of her wine glass with one large gulp before promptly reaching for more. _…Absolutely __**die**__ of embarrassment if those two start calling me that… _She continued to herself haggardly before slapping at a now recovered Gourry's hand reaching for her plate. _Maybe I should have given him __**two**__ Digger Bolts instead…_

(S) "So what made you come up with that particular nickname Miss Katibree?" The shrine maiden couldn't help but ask as she observed the change in the redhead's behavior.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" The ex-assassin asked wryly. "She **is** a redhead after all." _100 all natu-ral. _She added to herself as it took all she had to not burst into unchecked laughter right then and there as Lina shot her a dirty look as if she'd heard the thought herself.

(A) "Yeah I guess so…" The Seyruun princess said while studying the wrong hair. "But, Miss Lina's hair is so bright, it's allot closer to orange…."

(K) "That's true, but the nickname 'Orange' isn't nearly as catchy as 'Red' in my opinion." The half elf replied with a smirk.

(A) "No, it's not!" Amelia agreed with a laugh. "Anyway, is everyone done here…?" "Well, besides Mr. Gourry…?" She added with a sweat-drop as she watched the swordsman savant continue to devour all food in sight as the servers brought more.

(S) "I'm absolutely stuffed." Sylphiel answered contently.

(K) "I've had more than enough, thank you for the excellent dinner Princess Seyruun." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied.

"He, he… don't mention it Miss Katibree…" The princess said while rubbing the back of her neck with a small laugh. _So formal…it may sound silly, but I'm just not used to that, not coming from someone who adventures with Miss Lina anyway…_"How about you, Miss Lina…?" She added to the sorceress who currently had her nose in yet another wine glass.

"Hum… oh yeah, I'm pretty full actually." Lina finally replied.

"Now that's a first!" Both shrine maidens, Katibree, and Gourry said simultaneously much to a certain redhead's annoyance.

"Am I really gonna have to start blowing people up after having been back in Seyruun less than 3 hours after nearly a 2 year absence…?" The redhead asked menacingly.

(A) "Please don't total the dinning area Miss Lina, we didn't mean anything by it… really!" The Seyruun princess pleaded while stifling a giggle. "I was just thinking that if all the girl's are done we could all take a proper bath together.

(S) "That sounds like a wonderful idea Miss Amelia!" The shrine maiden said while clasping her hands together. "We had a chance to take quick ones before we went to the healing ward because our gear was taken to be cleaned and repaired and we were being provided with new clothes… but, it would be nice to take a long luxurious one together!"

(L) "Yeah, it feels like it's been ages since I've really taken a nice, long, hot bath… and your hot springs can't be beat Amelia!" The sorcery genius agreed cheerfully.

(K) _T-t……__**together?**_ Katibree stammered to herself in disbelief. _Bathing with Lina is one thing but…_

(L) "So what do ya say, Kat?" Lina turned to the ex-assassin to ask coyly. "Up for a bath with the girls?" _She's totally freaking out, I __**knew**__ it! _She exclaimed to herself gleefully while struggling to keep her face straight.

"Well, I uhm…" The half elf began flusteredly. "I-I I'm going to go ahead and pass on… that one - -"

"Oh come on Kat, don't be that way…" The sorceress said while giving the older girl her best cute face. "She's just shy because she not used to the custom yet." She explained over her shoulder to the other girls.

(S) "That's right, Miss Katibree is from the outer barrier… there must be places there that don't have public bathing…" Sylphiel mused.

(A) "Don't be shy Miss Katibree; it'll be allot of fun!" Amelia reassured her. "We always have a great time together at the hot springs!"

(K) "I really don't think - -" Katibree tried again before Lina cut her off by grabbing her arm and leading her away with a sweet smile.

"I'll just give her a quick pep talk and we'll meet ya **right** there, ok girls?" The redhead called with a wave.

"Gotcha Miss Lina / Ok, but hurry!" Sylphiel and Amelia called back.

(A) "Oh, and Mr. Gourry…?" The princess said as an afterthought.

"Yeah, Amelia…?" Gourry asked while looking up from his new growing pile of plates.

"Try not to eat Seyruun into a famine please…?" Amelia said with a smile before turning and heading in the direction of the hot springs while chatting animatedly with Sylphiel as the blonde warrior blinked after them before finally shrugging and beginning to eat once more.

(L) "Come on Kat, don't be such a baby." The redhead said as soon as the two of them were out of the dining area with the door shut.

"I-I am not being a baby…!" The mostly platinum haired warrior said with her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch. "I just have no desire to sit and stare at your two friends nude for what sounds like it going to be hours on end…"

"That's really a shame, because Sylphiel's just smokin' let me tell ya." The younger girl teased.

"You are **not** helping at all, Red." The half drow deadpanned.

"Loosen up, I don't see what the big deal is!" The sorcery genius said with a laugh.

"_The big __**deal**__ is that I'll be '__**tightening**__ up' instead of '__**loosening**__ up', I have no interest in doing my best not to notice a shrine maiden __**peepshow**__ for an hour."_ The ex-assassin hissed while beginning to gesture steadily more irritably. _"I like my bone crushing, Fireballing, Dragon Slaving, 'Enemy of all who live that leaves wreckage and chaos in her wake' just __**fine **__thank__**you**__very__**much**_ She continued to rant quietly.

"You've known those two for **years**, so it's **expected** of you… I met Nels Rada a **week** ago and Princess Seyruun less than **four** hours ago." The half drow continued to rant as the younger girl descended into a helpless fit of the giggles. _"I want to look at nice __**perky**__ breasts, not __**avoid**__ looking a big fluffy ones… and on top of that if I look at your nice perky ones for more than a __**second**__ or so at a time, you can bet that the owners of the big fluffy ones are gonna start ta __**wonder,**__ Red…!"_

"I don't want to have to have a conversation with Nels Rada that I can hardly follow because in the back of my mind I'm thinking: _'Well __**what**__ do ya know, reaching your 'Threshold' drains the color of your __**pubic**__ hair __**too**__!' 'And __**my**__, isn't that an __**adorable**__ little mole on Miss Crowned Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun's ass who's __**conveniently**__ bending over __**right**__ in front of me!?"_ She continued with sarcastic glee as Lina doubled over in unchecked laughter.

(L) _**Breathe**__… Baby, __**breathe**_ The redhead finally managed in between partially stifled bursts of laughing. "Just calm down ok…?" "Look, if you still don't come with me after I've talked to you about it for this long, they're going to know something's up and just start asking more questions..."

"Gods-**damn** it Lina…" Katibree swore while smoothing out her mostly platinum colored mane agitatedly. "I don't need this shit."

"Come on, if you don't go this time we're both going to get about a billion questions more from them and they'll just try even harder to get you to go with us the next time." The sorceress tried to explained apologetically, but couldn't quite pull off the sympathy believably as she was still grinning from ear to ear…

"Ah… **fuck** me…" The ex-assassin complained after finally giving in as the sorcery genius lead her in the direction of the hot springs where Amelia and Sylphiel were waiting for them.

Lina bit her tongue to spare the older girl the comment of 'Maybe if you sneak into my room later on tonight.' Which would have undoubtedly earned her a lump on the head at this particular moment and went with the second choice of: "Just relax Hun, everything will be fine and it'll be over before you know it." _And people claim I have no self restraint…! _She thought to herself wryly.

(K) "I **still** can't believe you're making me do this Lina…" Katibree continued to complain as the two of them went into the changing area and began to undress side by side. "This is going to be an absolute **catastrophe**."

"You've really gotta work on your positive thinking Kat…" The sorceress said with a smirk as she tossed the last of her clothes off to the side and reached for a towel. _"And you should probably try and get most of the staring out of your system __**before**__ we go in too…"_ She whispered with a little wink as the older girl's eyes began to reflexively wander her lithe frame.

The half elf smacked herself in the forehead while squeezing her lavender colored eyes shut at this. _"Absolute…. __**Nightmare**_ She groaned as the redhead wrapped her towel around herself with a giggle.

"Just come in when you're ready, but you can't say you were never ready and just not come in." The redhead teased as she opened up the door to the hot springs area and froze in her tracks as both shrine maidens called to her while waving animatedly, sending their breasts into a fascinating variety of motions as Lina held back a nosebleed.

"_Whoa_ The sorceress said before simply shutting the door back with an unreadable expression on her face.

"_Everything ok, Lover…?" _The half drow asked wryly as she wrapped her own towel around herself.

"_W-what….what the __**hell**__ did ya do to me Kat?!"_ Lina hissed while pressing her back to the door as images of creamy bits slowly faded from her mind. _"I'm… I'm a fricking… raging __**pervert**__ now or something!" "I walked in there and it was like I'd never seen them naked my entire __**life, **__and someone had just shoved a miniature __**fireball**__ up my - -"_

"This isn't going to be as easy as you thought it was going to be, is it?" The ex-assassin asked with a laugh.

"Oh, **shut** _**up**_ and come on…" The redhead replied while placing one hand on the doorknob and the other on Katibree's wrist. "We're going in at the same **time**."

"But… I'm not ready yet - -"

"The**same**damn_**time**_!" The sorcery genius reiterated flusteredly while throwing the door to the hot springs area back open and practically dragging the mostly platinum haired warrior in with her. "Sorry about that, Kat here was trying to get cold feet on me!" She said while breaking into the most forced smile she thought she'd ever faked as she headed toward the two shrine maidens wading in the shallow side of the springs.

(A) "We were beginning to think that you'd changed your mind about showing up Miss Lina!" The Seyruun princess teased with a giggle.

"Nope, wouldn't miss this for the world!" Lina replied with a huge sweat-drop as she whipped off her towel and practically cannonballed into the springs causing the shrine maidens to squeal gleefully as they were splashed.

(S) "Aren't you coming in Miss Katibree…?" Sylphiel asked happily. "The water feels really amazing!"

"Uhm, sure…" Katibree replied while averting her eyes with a blush as she loosened her towel before finally reluctantly letting it drop.

(A)"Oh Miss Katibree, you have an amazing figure!" Amelia complimented, causing the half elf to blush all the more vividly as she made her way into the steaming water. "Don't you think so, Miss Lina?"

"Eh heh, oh really…?" The redhead asked nervously while rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess I…hadn't really noticed…" She added while superstitiously scanning the expansive arched ceiling for any arcs of lightening that may be headed her way…

(A)"Don't be silly Miss Lina!" The princess said with a laugh. "You've always noticed other girl's bodies since I've ever known you!"

(K) _Wow, I'm not even sure what to think of that comment… _The mostly platinum haired warrior thought to herself. "I think I'll go for a swim now." She said before diving beneath the surface of the water and swimming in the direction of the deeper end of the springs.

(L) "Jeez Amelia, you didn't have to go and make me sound like some kind of pervert…" Lina said while blushing profusely.

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way!" Amelia with a embarrassed little smile. "What I meant was... you've just always been so self-conscious about your body that you've always felt like you needed to **compare** yourself to other girls…"

_Thanks for that little clarification __**after**__ the girlfriend swims away…_The redhead thought to herself while leaning against the side of the tiled area with a sigh and roll of her ruby colored eyes. 'Yeah… well maybe, but I'm pretty sure I'm done with that little phase that I went through now."

(S) "Well, I really must admit that you certainly do seem more confident in that department now Miss Lina." The shrine maiden who'd been relaxing quietly while floating on her back with her eyes closed up until this point piped up. "I wouldn't have expected to see you sporting that mercenary outfit you were wearing the other night in a hundred years!" She added with a giggle.

(A)"A mercenary outfit…?" The princess inquired while leaning forward with interest. "So what did it look like, was it **super** scan-da-lous…?" She practically cooed.

"Oh yes, it was made of form fitting leather and everything…" Sylphiel replied conspiratorially. "It even showed off enough cleavage to get Dear Gourry to stand up and take notice…."

(A) "Oooooh, does that mean that you've finally broken down and are trying to hook Mr. Gourry in for keeps now Miss Lina?"

"Come on guys, would ya give a girl a break…?" The sorceress asked haggardly. "The merc outfit was just a disguise I was using at one time and nothing more." She added while beginning to massage her temples. "The only reason I put it on that night at all was because my sorceress's outfit was ruined during the sneak attack on my room..."

(A) "I'm sorry Miss Lina; I wasn't trying to give you a hard time…!" The Seyruun Princess laughed. "It's just that everyone's always been under the impression that you've got the hots for Mr. Gourry."

(L) "The hots for Gourry…?" The redhead replied doubtfully.

"Well yeah, why else would you have decided to stick with him so long otherwise?" Amelia asked.

"He's one of my best friends Amelia." Lina replied with a little laugh. "Just because I enjoy adventuring with him doesn't mean I have the 'hots' for him." She added while using two fingers on either hand to put quotations on the word 'hots' before leaning back against the edge of the hot springs and clasping her hands behind her head leisurely.

(A) "Well if that's the case… what's changed between back then and now?" The Princess inquired while wading out to slightly deeper water.

"….What do ya mean by that?" The sorceress asked after a bit of hesitation.

"Well whenever I used to ask you about stuff like this when we were on the road back then, you always got all flustered and embarrassed about it…"

"Yeah, I guess I did…" Lina admitted while scratching her head in thought. "I mean, I was allot younger back then, and I really wasn't sure about how I felt about him at the time…" "I guess it just took me awhile to realize that I view Gourry as… more of a brother than anything else."

(A) "Oh, I see…" Amelia said somewhat crestfallenly.

(S) _In the past I never believed Miss Lina when she denied her feelings for Gourry Dear, but now she sounds so sure about it…Could it be that - -_

(A) "Well what about you Miss Sylphiel?" The Seyruun Princess suddenly asked jolting the fellow shrine maiden out of her thoughts.

"….What about me?" Sylphiel finally asked lamely.

"You know what I mean…" Amelia persisted while moving over and proceeding to elbow the taller girl in the ribs with a knowing grin. "If Miss Lina finally decided that she doesn't want a relationship with Mr. Gourry, that makes him fair game for you right…?"

The shrine maiden began to stammer flusteredly at this.

"There's no way you can tell me that **you** aren't crushing on him anymore…" The Princess continued wryly. "I caught you staring at him when he had his shirt off in the healing ward earlier…"

(S) "_**Oh**_…!" The shrine maiden gasped before covering her mouth with both hands as she began to turn a vivid shade of red.

(L) "Sooo **busted** Sylphiel!" Lina laughed as Katibree returned from her swim.

(K) "Caught in the act, eh Nels Rada…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior teased while settling down against a ledge herself.

"I didn't…. I mean, I wasn't….I-I didn't mean too!" The shrine maiden stammered.

(L) "Heh, relax Syl, it's not like it wasn't already common knowledge that you're totally into him anyway…" The sorcery genius chuckled.

"I guess it kinda is…. Huh…?" Sylphiel finally agreed shyly.

(K) "Blatantly obvious." The ex-assassin agreed. "And besides, you were only checking him out with his shirt off… it's not like you were 'meat gazing' or anything."

(S) "…Meat what….?" The shrine maiden began to ask before finally catching the half elf's meaning and promptly returning to her previous shade of red as Amelia followed suit before descending into a fresh fit of the giggles.

(K) "**Katibree**…!" Lina tried to scold while doing her best not to join in the laughter.

(A)"….Can't **believe** you just…. said that Miss Katibree!" The princess managed in between short stretches of non-giggledum.

(K) "I mean, it's not like anyone would hold it against her if she **had** been taking a package survey but - -" The half drow continued until she was swatted by a certain redhead.

"What…?" Katibree asked the younger girl in feigned incomprehension while stifling a laugh of her own.

"Would ya stop corrupting the shrine maiden's already, Kat…?" The sorceress asked through a hand on her face.

"How am I corrupting them??" The half elf asked with an innocent expression on her own face.

Lina merely blinked at her a moment before finally speaking once more. "Fine… keep it up… but I'm tellin' ya right now; the first time Amelia uses a term like 'meat gazing' or 'package surveys' around Phil… I'm not even going to wait to see the look of horror on his face before I point right at you and say: "**She** did it."

"Wow…. You're not even going to do me the favor of just shoving me out in front of the carriage so maybe I'll have a chance to dodge it…?"

"Nope, throwin' you right under it." The sorcery genius affirmed with a grin.

"Alright, alright…. I'll try and keep it clean then…!" Katibree finally agreed.

(L) _"Yeah… we'll see how long that lasts…"_ Lina muttered with a roll of her ruby colored eyes as The Seyruun princess finally got her laugher enough under control to observe the two interact more closely.

(A)"Ok, so I've got another question for you Miss Lina…" Amelia began slowly after watching the duo banter back and forth a moment more.

"What's that Amelia…?" The redhead inquired lightly.

"Well…. You basically just said that you've only just recently made up your mind about your feelings for Mr. Gourry right…?"

"Yeah….?" The sorceress answered somewhat cautiously.

"So… was it because…. Maybe someone 'else' caught your eye that helped you with your final decision about how you felt about him…?" The Seyruun princess asked while studying Lina's body language.

(K) "Yeah Lina…" Katibree added while lean forward conspiratorially. "Have any new crushes you've neglected to let the girl's in on?"

(S) "You wouldn't keep something like that from your best friends would you Miss Lina…?" Sylphiel chimed in while leaning forward herself.

_Gonna fricking __**kill**__ her! _Lina thought to herself for what seemed the 50th or so time that day as she already began to feel her cheeks reddening as all three friends leaned in to hear what she had to say expectantly. _She sure is one hell of an actress… _"C-come on guys, come off it already and give a girl some breathing room." She finally managed flusteredly. "It's not like I actually have the time in my line of work to just go cruising the town for viable prospects for that…"

(A)"No, I guess you really don't have the time to do that…" Amelia finally admitted with a little smile. "Well, as long as we're still on the subject of girl talk… how about you Miss Katibree, have you had a crush on anyone lately?"

"A crush as in… admiring an unrequited or oblivious love interest from afar?" The ex-assassin asked while placing a hand on her chin in thought. "No… not recently." She finally answered wryly. _Well at least not __**that**__ recently… _She added to herself silently.

(L) _That was pretty slick… Kat actually managed to answer the question without out right lying to Amelia by being so specific…_ The redhead thought in bemusement.

(A)"That was a pretty technical answer Miss Katibree!" The Seyruun Princess replied, her cerulean colored eyes glimmering with amusement.

"Yeah well, I've found that it's normally better to be a specific as possible when answering a question." The mostly platinum haired warrior joked as they all sat around in steaming water roughly up to their chests.

(L) "How about you Amelia…?" Lina asked. "Still chasing the old chimera flame?" She added with a knowing little smirk.

"Well… more like waiting for him I guess…" Amelia answered quietly while looking down at the water bashfully. "He actually stopped by about a month ago actually, said he's landed a mercenary job from an anonymous source…" She began to explain.

(L) "Zel took a job from a **completely** anonymous source…?" The sorcery genius asked in surprise. "As paranoid and distrusting as he is, that's about the **last** thing I expected to hear."

"I know, I thought so too… but he said the pay can't be beat and he can really use the money." The princess mused. "He also said that whoever did hire him wants to find the mark pretty badly." "The employer paid Mr. Zelgadis ¼ of it in advance just to look for the mark, but if he manages to find and capture the mark, he'll receive the rest of the payment then.

(L) "That really **is** a sweet deal…" Lina said with a little whistle. "The employer **had** to be hard up to make an agreement like **that**, but I definitely see why Zelgadis couldn't bring himself to pass the job up now."

(A)"Yeah, my only worry is, if the job is paying as much as Mr. Zelgadis is making it **sound** like it's paying…" Amelia continued before trailing off worriedly.

(S) "It's going to be a very dangerous job…" Sylphiel finished for her quietly.

(L) "Awww come on you two, don't get all down in the dumps worrying about Zel…" The redhead said cheerfully. "He didn't get the nickname 'Heartless Mystical Swordsman' for nothing; if there's anyone that can take care of themselves… it's Zelgadis."

(A)"Yeah… you're right Miss Lina!" Amelia finally agreed more cheerfully.

(S) "Yeah, if we should be worried about anything… it'd probably be smarter to worry about accidentally turning into prunes in here…" The shrine maiden added with a giggle.

(L) "We really have been in here for quite a while…" Lina replied in surprise after glancing over at the clock. "I totally lost track of the time." She added while rubbing the back of her neck with a little laugh.

(A)"I guess it's time to actually wash up then!" The princess replied while standing to make her way up into the titled area too.

(K) "You guys… **wash** each other during this custom too…?" Katibree asked uncomfortably while averting her eyes as the princess stood only to be blindsided by a blatant crotch shot from Sylphiel as she stood as well to join Amelia. _I-I guess my little comment about what affect reaching her threshold would have on Nels Rada's pubic hair turned out to be more of a prediction…_She thought to herself as the tips of her ears began to redden in embarrassment.

(A)"Oh, no Miss Katibree… we just scrub each other's backs because it's more convenient that way." Amelia explained while bending over to set up her stool and inadvertently giving a certain sorcery genius making her way out of the springs an unexpected glimpse into the younger girl's 'future', causing her to nosebleed and fall backwards with an unceremonious sounding... "**H**-_**Hawh**_…!!" _**SPLOOSH**_! Followed by a barely audible snicker from Katibree as she headed for the tiled area herself.

(S) "Oh, Miss **Lina**… are you **alright**??" Sylphiel asked while rushing back to the side of the hot springs in alarm with Amelia close behind.

(A)"Miss Lina, you're **bleeding**; did you bump your nose against something?" The Seyruun Princess chimed in worriedly as a certain ex-assassin doubled over in silent laughter behind them.

_Nope, but I __**almost**__ did…_The sorceress thought to herself while holding her nose with a slight blush. "Yeah, something like that…" She finally answered while averting her ruby colored eyes in slight annoyance of the hovering shrine maiden duo. "Just go ahead and get started without me, I'll be out in a bit.

(A)"O-ok then…" Amelia replied unsurely before turning back toward the titled area with Sylphiel where Katibree was already working on rather hurriedly scrubbing herself clean-er.

(S) "…Did you need one of us to wash your back, Miss Katibree?" The taller girl finally asked after a moments hesitation.

"I'm pretty sure I can live without adding that custom to my list too, but thanks anyway Sylphiel." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while making the conscious effort to avert her eyes as she spoke to the girl as Lina finally got her leaky nose under control and finally made her way out of the water without further incident.

(A)"So Miss Lina, I was thinking…" The princess said while beginning to scrub Sylphiel's back after she sat down on her respective bathing stool. "Did you want to have a sleepover in my room just like old times tonight?"

"…I think…I'm actually going to want my own room tonight Amelia." Lina replied apologetically as she began to wash herself. "I know it's been like forever since we've seen each other last, and I really did have allot of fun tonight…." "But, I'm really exhausted and… I've got allot of things on my mind that I need to just have some peace and quiet to try and figure out, ya know?" She tried to explain. _Plus I've got a girlfriend now and sleeping in the same bed again with Amelia would be pretty weird… wouldn't want to reach over in my sleep in the middle of the night thinking she was Kat and do something… that would really suck to have to try and explain away. _She added to herself somewhat uneasily.

(A)"It's ok, I understand…" The Seyruun princess said, but her disappointment was apparent as she began to wash her own hair as Sylphiel began to scrub her back.

(L) "And besides…" The sorcery genius added at the younger girl's crestfallen look. "We've got allot of serious stuff to discuss tomorrow, as well as some really big decisions to make, just with those reasons alone it would be better to get a good night's sleep tonight instead of staying up and chatting until well past dawn like we'd inevitably do." She added before picking up a bucket of fresh water and dumping it over her head to rinse her own hair.

(A)"Yeah, that is true…" Amelia agreed with a little smile before rinsing her own hair as well.

Just then, Katibree stood and wrapped a towel around herself having already finished bathing.

(S) "Already leaving us Miss Katibree…?" The shrine maiden asked pleasantly as she worked on finishing up her own bath.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty taxing day…" The half elf replied with a little sigh.

(A)"Oh, I almost forgot, you'll have to ask one of the castle's personnel to have a room prepared for you." Amelia piped up while drying her hair. "The rest of the gang already has rooms reserved especially for them, but you're a new addition to the team."

"No problem at all." The ex-assassin called over her shoulder while making her way back to the changing room as the others girls finished up.

Soon enough the remaining trio of girls had completed their baths as well and made their way to the dressing room.

(S) "I don't think I've ever been this ready for bed…" Sylphiel said with a little sigh as the three got dressed in their fresh replacement clothes.

(L) "You said it Sylphiel!" Lina agreed as she finished putting on the last of her clothing.

(A)"I'm sorry you all had such a horrible day, but at least justice triumphed in the end and you're all still whole and here now!" Amelia said as they headed for the exit to the dressing room.

(L) "Yeah, luck was really on our side earlier today." The redhead agreed tiredly. "Anyway, I'm about to drop where I stand; So I'll see you two in the morning Ok?" She added with a little wave before turning and walking in the direction of her quarters.

"Goodnight Miss Lina!" The shrine maiden duo chimed simultaneously before saying their proper goodnights to each other and then heading in the direction of their respective rooms for the night as well.

A little later on...

As soon as the sorcery genius got to her room, she flung off her shoes and flopped backwards onto the giant bed behind her. "What a day…" She said with an exhausted sigh.

_I'm dog assed tired, but for some reason I don't think that sleep is going to come as easily as it usually does… _She continued to herself. _Even though we're in about as safe of a place as you can find right now, that close call earlier today still kind of has me feeling edgy._

_We're temporarily out of the woods as far as immediate treats go at least, but lately I've just been feeling like more and more problems are constantly piling on faster than I can even find a decent resolution for the first damn one! _The sorceress thought while clutching the sides of her head in growing frustration.

_And on top of that, I really need to go over some stuff with Katibree… We've both kind of been avoiding the subject because for one, Kat's a very private person and we really didn't have any privacy to discuss it out on the road with Gourry and Sylphiel around, and for two… it's just really uncomfortable for her to talk about in general…But there's just no way we can ignore the issue of her heritage anymore._

_There's the deal that happened with Twinkle earlier, and then there's the reason why I think that Xellos is trailing us, and then there's the deal with Kat's still developing powers… I'm trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but I need her to help me figure this out because I've got this sinking feeling that something really bad is coming and I want to be as prepared for it as I possibly can… _The redhead continued while rolling over on her stomach with an irritable groan before covering her head with a pillow. "I don't even know where her room is…" She muttered into the extravagant bed's comforter.

_And going around asking random castle staff until I happen upon someone who knows where her room is set up probably isn't the most inconspicuous behavior... _

"…_Why the hell does everything have to be so damn complicated all the time…?" _She whispered conflictedly after a short pause. _Gods do I have a headache…_

"_Come on L-sama, throw me a bone here…Is it really too much to ask to just see my girlfriend…?" _The redhead added more quietly.

Just then there was a familiar quiet tapping at her window causing Lina to toss the pillow off her head and look over at it in bemusement.

"……I…guess I owe ya one." The sorcery genius finally said while glancing toward the heavens with a smirk.


	56. Chapter 56

**Meltdown**

_Why didn't she just pick the lock…? _Lina wondered while rolling off the bed and onto her feet.

The sorceress walked over to the window and pulled the curtain to one side before breaking into a smile at the sight of a certain half elf's silhouette crouching on the ledge outside her window highlighted by the moon.

_An alarm spell… that explains it. _The sorceress deducted as she dispelled the spell with a wave of her hand and unlocked the window with a snap of her fingers. _Unlock is like, one of the greatest spells ever created…_She added to herself with a smirk while opening the window allowing the ex-assassin to hop in silently and closing it back behind her.

"What took ya so long?" The redhead asked wryly while pulling the older girl closer to her and wrapping her arms around her neck.

"This entire castle is completely anti-stealth…" Katibree replied with a chuckle while placing her arms around the smaller girl's slender waist. "It didn't help that Princess Seyruun beefed up security like you suggested either." She added with her luminous lavender colored eyes twinkling playfully.

"Oh boohoo, you could use the exercise anyway." Lina teased before leaning the rest of the way in and giving the half drow a lingering kiss before burying her face in the older girl's neck and closing her eyes with a weary sigh afterwards.

"Looks like you're practically dead on your feet, lover…" The mostly platinum haired warrior murmured while readjusting an arm to begin massaging the back of the sorceress's neck.

"Mmmmph…" Was the younger girl's only reply into the half elf's neck as she basked in the much missed attention and smell of the older girl's skin.

"Did you even try to go to sleep?" The ex-assassin asked as she began to back toward the bed, prompting the sorceress to follow her feet as they continued to embrace.

"Couldn't." Came the sorcery genius' muffled reply as they neared the side of the bed.

"Mind going a million miles a minute…?" Katibree asked before simply falling backwards on the bed with a grunt with the smaller girl on top.

"…Yeah…" The redhead finally answered after a short pause, her face having never left the side of the half drow's neck.

"So what do you want to do, talk or sleep?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked wryly as she felt the tension in the sorceress' muscles begin to melt away.

"Haven't decided yet…" Lina answered while shifting her weight on the older girl slightly. "And even if I decide to talk… I have no clue where to even begin to start anymore…"

"Well, just talk about the most critical thing and work your way down then I guess." The ex-assassin offered.

The redhead rolled off of the larger girl and on to her back next to her at this. "The most critical thing - - **everything** is the most critical thing at this point, that's **exactly** what's wrong." She began while staring up at the ceiling with a wrist against her forehead.

"And the worst thing is, there's no resolution in sight for **any** of the stuff we're dealing with, and the problems just keep literally **multiplying**." "I don't know what I'm gonna… I have no idea how I'm going to deal with **any** of this." The sorceress continued with a small frown as her temples began to throb painfully once more.

"There's the thing with Gourry, and me worrying about him finding out about us and you two getting into a serious fight." The sorcery genius tried to explain while massaging her temples. "And even if that isn't the case and you two **don't** end up fighting, there's still the whole issue of breaking one of the best friends that I've ever had's heart into a million pieces."

"I mean, what am I gonna say to him…?" "Hey thanks for waiting patiently all these years until I finally made up my mind Gourry, but I went ahead and chose someone else instead; you know her actually." She said in mock nonchalance. "How long have we been dating…?" "Oh, a few months now… right under your nose actually!" She finished while looking over at the older girl with a grimace. "No matter how you look at it, this just isn't going to go over well."

(K) "Especially if the news is broken to him that way…" Katibree replied with a slight grimace of her own.

"And that's just an internal issue among the party that I haven't figured out how to deal with in a way that's the least traumatic." Lina continued with a hand over her face. _I was kind of hoping that after them spending so much time alone together, he'd end up falling for Sylphiel so that the blow would be softer but that just hasn't happened…If Gourry's anything, he loyal._

"On top of that, there's the deal with Xellos following us, because that's **never** good." She continued while beginning to count with the fingers on the hand not covering her face. "Which leads to the question of whether Xellos and Beastmaster are affiliated with Soshurn somehow; because that would be just what we **don't** need at this point."

"There's also the question of how many copies Soshurn's capable of making and how long it takes to make them." Lina continued while beginning to rustle her fiery mane in agitation as she stared at her fingers. "There's also the question of where he's making them and whether we can even get to that place and shut it down because monsters normally reside in the astral plane." "There the question of whether we're going to walk out of Seyruun and find an army of hundreds of Rahtarimu's, Zifolis', and Filzinia's waiting for us or if there are even more copies with new abilities that we don't know about yet, Soshurn may even be capable of cloning himself for all we know." The redhead who'd run out of fingers on the first hand and had resorted to using the other as well began to list off more quickly.

"There's also the question of whether your manifesting powers are a sign that Shabranigdo's dormant essence has been activated or if this is just your innate abilities finally kicking in after all this exposure to powerful magic." The sorceress continued to list while beginning to clench her jaw unconsciously as she spoke. "And if it is that Ruby Eyed Shabranigdo's essence has been activated, is it Twinkle that's keeping it in check or is it only a matter of time before the corruption takes over." She continued while clutching the back of her head with both hands as her breathing began to come in shorter and quicker breaths.

"And that leads to the question of what I'm going to do if the corruption **does** take over… and… and I can't…I can't find a way to **reverse** it…" Lina continued before trailing off and suddenly rolling off the bed and to her feet.

She stood that way for a long moment, merely staring at the wall silently while clutching the back of her head and breathing sporadically with her back to the half elf.

After a minute of the only sound in the room being that of the sorceresses quiet ragged breathing the half drow finally spoke. "Red - -?" She tried tentatively before being cut off as the younger girl suddenly spun around.

"It's all issues, problems, and questions and no **fucking** answers or **solutions** Kat!" The sorceress exploded with tears streaming down her face. "_**None**_!" She reiterated in frustration. "I-I'm **always** the one with all the answers when it hits the fan, **I'm** the one that everyone always depends on to save the day, **I'm** the one that saves the world when no one else **can**, I'm **Lina Inverse** and I can't even kiss my own **girlfriend** in **public **because I'm afraid the guy who **thought** he was going to be my boyfriend might commit **suicide**!" She exclaimed while pointing at herself with both index fingers vigorously.

"I am **sick** of the **pretending**, I'm **sick** of the lies and deception when all I want to be is **happy**!" Lina shouted while kicking the side of the bed. "How can the only thing that's truly made me happy, the only thing that's ever filled that void for me, make someone else so **miserable**??" "I feel like everything is just going up in smoke, I mean… if I don't figure out something quickly enough… I may end up losing you all together and… we just… I just…" She faltered before merely crumpling to the floor of the bedroom while sobbing defeatedly with her hands covering her face.

The mostly platinum haired warrior thought she could feel her own heart breaking at the sight as if the younger girl's pain was transferring directly to her as she stood from the bed while fighting off tears of her own. "Come here Red, you're hyperventilating…" She managed through a lump in her throat while bending down and picking the trembling sorceress up before depositing her gently on the bed.

"This would be called a panic attack, kind of a nastier version of what you went through on the ship to Gheyahsayl minus anything pleasant…" The older girl explained quietly while laying down next to and embracing the redhead who was laying on her side and still sobbing quietly in-between ragged breaths.

"I want you to take a deep breath, hold it, and listen to me, do you understand?" Katibree asked quietly as the younger girl buried her face in her chest.

Lina merely nodded and complied with a deep shaky breath and held it.

"…One… day… at a time." The half elf finally said slowly and clearly. "Now let it out slowly to get your breathing back to normal." She instructed calmly.

The redhead let out a decidedly less shaky breath and took another deep breath and held it for good measure as she continued to listen to the mostly platinum haired warrior.

"You are indeed Lina Inverse, an **extraordinary** human with demigod powers… but you're still human, and even amazing human beings such as yourself can only process so many things at one time, so we can chart it out and discuss it issue by issue if you'd like, but no more overloading yourself ok?" Katibree inquired gently.

The sorcery genius nodded once more while exhaling as her shaking subsided.

"And as far as you and I go, listen… what do you hear right now…?" The ex-assassin asked.

"…….Your heart beating…" The sorceress finally replied in borderline bemusement as to what she'd ever bothered to get so worked up over.

"So even if we may not be together forever, that heartbeat you hear proves I'm here right now… so what good does it do to spend our time together now, worrying about an unknown future…?" Katibree asked while placing her chin on the top of Lina's head with a little sigh. "All we can do is try our best to plan for it and enjoy the time we have together here and now."

"Hey, Kat…?" Lina asked after a long moment of silence between the two of them.

"Hum…?"

"Thanks."

"Um hum." The ex-assassin replied while closing her lavender colored eyes wearily. "So is this what you were stressing out about on our way here when Nels Rada asked what was wrong…?

"No actually, I was thinking about home at that time…" The redhead replied quietly.

"Home?" The half elf inquired.

"Yeah, Zephilia's even closer to the shore than Seyruun is; seeing all the renovations being made to recover from the tsunami got me thinking." The younger girl began to explain while wiping her eyes with a sniff. "I mean, I know Mom and Dad are ok, because I would have been notified if anything had happened to them, but it's just been eating at me that I screwed up so bad again." "I basically just ruined the livelihood and economy of Zephilia with that stunt…"

"It was an honest mistake, people make them all the time."

"It wasn't a mistake, and even if it was that's a really **huge** mistake."

"So you're telling me that while we were fighting that sea monster, you looked over and saw the shore in the distance and said: "Ooooooh, let's see how big of a **tidal** **wave** I can make!" The half elf clarified with a smirk.

"Well no… I had no idea we were that close to shore…" Lina said while stifling a laugh. "But, I certainly didn't fire of the Dragon Slave accidentally.

"So if it wasn't your intention to saltify and make half the continent smell like a port, it was an accident, so stop beating yourself up over it." Katibree chuckled.

"That just the thing though, I can't brush it off for some reason…"

"Well you're developing a conscious then…" The half drow said wryly. "Didn't you used to total entire Kingdoms back in the day and walk away like oh well…?"

The redhead pulled away slightly and gave the ex-assassin a dirty look at this.

"Didn't you…?" The older girl reiterated with a laugh.

"Well… yeah…" The smaller girl finally admitted with a roll of her ruby colored eyes.

"Then the only way to get rid of the guilt is to take responsibility for it."

Lina merely blinked at the mostly platinum haired warrior a moment at this. "How is sending half the continent on a witch hunt for me going to help me feel less guilty?" She finally deadpanned.

"I'm not saying go haufaluting from city to city, Dragon Slaving them to get their attention and then scream: "It was **me**, the mother of all tidal waves was all courtesy of your local sorcery genius Lina Inverse!" "Or anything like that!" The half elf laughed.

"Then what exactly **were** you suggesting, Dear…?" The sorcery genius asked with a giggle.

"That after all of this is over and done with, you go home and help with renovations." Katibree explained. "I'm sure there's some spell you could come up with that would remove the salt from the soil and maybe speed up the rate that grapes grow at provided one hasn't already been developed before you get there…" "Be the hero of the people and get the credit you deserve for once."

The redhead was speechless. _I-I just might do that…Besides I really haven't seen Mom and Dad in a long time, it's be nice to see what they're up to…_"Would… would you… come with me…?" She finally managed with a slight blush.

"If you think there's anywhere that I **wouldn't** follow you now… you really **are** crazy." The mostly platinum haired warrior said with a grin. "It'd be an honor." She added before giving the sorceress a kiss on the forehead.

"I never in a hundred years thought I'd be bringing a **girl** home to Mom and Dad, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Lina said with a giggle.

"That's the spirit." Katibree replied with a grin.

"But in order to even get to that bridge, I need to keep my girlfriend **around** to bring home." The sorcery genius added while looking up at her once more and locking eyes with the older girl, all playfulness gone from her voice.

"There is that." The half drow agreed with a small nod. "So what were you saying about Twinkle earlier during your panic attack rant…?" She asked while pushing some of the sorceress' crimson locks away from her face and behind her ear.

"That was allot of information at one time huh…?" The redhead asked.

"A massive amount… I would have flipped out too if I'd tried to process it all at once, and most of the theories where unexplained or only partially explained so I had some trouble following." The ex-assassin admitted.

"Alright, well earlier while I was fighting Filzinia, Rahtarimu showed up - -" Lina began before being interrupted by Katibree.

"Hold it, hold it, why don't we start with your original theory about Twinkle first?" The larger girl suggested.

"Ok, my original theory was based on the fact that there's a weird aura emanating from her that I was never able to identify." The sorcery genius began to explain. "I mean, just looking at the sword itself, it's obvious that your parents abandoned you for a reason but they still cared about you." "But at the same time, that's a really weird thing to leave with a baby… so I figured that since she's been around you since birth, you're parents probably meant for Twinkle to be a ward of some kind. "And then I got to thinking, well what would the ward be for…?" "And then it hit me like a ton of bricks that if one of your parents is a corruption immune Drow elf, they knew that having a baby that was half and half didn't guarantee that you'd be safe, so they had Twinkle specially made as a ward of some sort."

"Ok, I follow that."

"Alright so, I think that deal ties in with why Xellos is tailing us here…" The sorceress continued while detangling herself from the half elf and sitting up in bed while scratching the back of her head thoughtfully. "So did you want me to finish the Twinkle theory separately, or tie in the Xellos one…?"

"Go ahead and throw the Xellos theory into the mix if it's going to loop back to Twinkle anyway." The half drow said after a moment of thought while rolling onto her back and placing her hands behind her head.

"So, I was immediately suspicious when Xellos showed up the day after the astral incident just to 'congratulate' me." The sorcery genius continued while shifting on the bed until she could lay back and put her head on the older girl's stomach. "But I didn't put 2 and 2 together right off the bat while Xellos was giving me all the information about your heritage because I was so damn embarrassed by the astral plane incident…"

"But after I really had a chance to think about it… Xellos really showed up that day to scout you, not give me a hard time…" "He was giving me the hard time to keep me distracted from figuring out the reason why he really showed up."

(K) "Very sneaky."

"That's Xellos for ya…" Lina agreed. "So it finally dawned on me that Beastmaster probably sent him to scout you as a possible addition to their side."

(K) "You think they want to **recruit** me…?" Katibree asked with her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch.

"Yeah, hadn't you figured that out yet…?"

"I honestly try not to think about things like this Red…"

"Yeah, I know you do…" The sorcery genius said with a sigh. "Anyway, it's obvious that you're becoming more powerful and gaining new abilities by the day, but you're aren't showing any signs of corruption." "So I figure that Beastmaster came to the same conclusion that I did… something must be keeping Shabranigdo's essence from affecting you if you are in fact tapping into it to use your powers."

"And you think that thing is Twinkle, but Xellos doesn't know about Twinkle even though he's be following us trying to figure out what it is." The mostly platinum haired warrior mused while playing with a lock of the sorceresses' hair absently.

"Well, he might know now…" The redhead said quietly while turning to the side and sliding a hand underneath the half elf's shirt, trailing her fingers over the lightly muscled stomach underneath in deep thought. "That actually brings us back to the battle from earlier today and the rest of my theory about Twinkle…"

"I follow everything so far, so go ahead and shoot."

"Ok, but could you do that pressure point thing for me...?" The younger girl asked. "I tried to do it earlier and couldn't figure how you did it and I've got a **killer** headache…"

"Sure thing." Katibree replied while reaching over and applying pressure just above Lina's eyebrows with her mid and forefingers.

"You're a life saver babe…" Lina practically purred as the splitting headache began to fade almost instantly before getting back to business. "Alright, so back at the battle earlier today, like I said before… I was fighting Filzinia when Rahtarimu showed up and I was in a really tight spot." "Up until that point I was trying to avoid using Twinkle just incase Xellos was watching the battle because he'd notice she was a new weapon and scrutinize her immediately…"

(K) "But things didn't work out that way." The mostly platinum haired warrior finished for her.

"That's right, like I said before I was really in a jam and I was working on casting a silent launch Dragon Slave - -"

"Didn't you tell me once that it was basically suicide to misfire a spell that powerful using that technique…?" The half drow interjected worriedly.

"Yeah, I did…" The redhead admitted quietly. "But, at the time I definitely had more confidence in my casting ability than I did in the belief that either Filzinia or Rahtarimu were going to just go easy on me because I was hard up…" She tried to explain apologetically.

"Yeah well, in the future… do me a favor and work as hard at keeping yourself around as you do at keeping me around or there's really no point to it all." The ex-assassin replied somewhat crossly.

"Point taken." The younger girl said with a little smile. "You know, I honestly think you're at your cutest when you're mad…" She added with a giggle.

"Oh, cut it out already…" The mostly platinum haired warrior couldn't help but laugh. "I'm serious though, no more tragic heroine bullshit." She reiterated humorlessly.

"I know you are…" Lina replied more solemnly. "But back to the issue at hand… Rahtarimu charged me before I had a chance to complete the spell, so I drew Twinkle and chucked her at him to try and distract him for a few more seconds to give me the time I needed to fire off the spell…" She trailed off before continuing once more.

"And of course, the moron felt the need to stop and gloat about how regular weapons have no affect on pure Mazoku as if I didn't already know that like I predicted he would and gave me the time I need to finish the silent launch…" Lina continued while twirling a finger disinterestedly.

(K) "Ever the tactician…" Katibree chuckled.

"You'd better believe it." The redhead affirmed with a cocky smirk. "**Who's** your sorcery genius…?!" She added with a swatting motion as the half elf broke into a fit of unchecked laughter.

"Oh… my… Gods!" The ex-assassin managed once she got her laughing under control. "Get a load of you…!"

"Hey, he was about to be my bitch one way or the other… both of them were." The sorceress replied matter of factly. "Anyway, just as I went to fire off the spell… the hilt of Twinkle started to glow this bright whitish-blue color and Rahtarimu doubles over and just starts screaming bloody murder…"

(K) "What the hell…?" The half drow balked.

"That's what I said, and when I looked closer you could see that where the blade came in contact with his stomach… the color of his 'skin' or whatever you want to call it was fading from an inky black color to like a transparent white color and spreading out from there…" Lina continued to explain while tracing a finger around the rim of the older girl's bellybutton. "Either way, obviously there was a change of plans and I capitalized on the distraction and Sirius showed to help me out afterwards."

(K) "So Twinkle was… absorbing Rahtarimu then…? The mostly platinum haired warrior asked slowly.

"Something like that… yeah…" The redhead said somewhat distractedly.

"What's up?" Katibree asked.

"I think I just thought of a way to figure out just how worried we need to be…" The sorcery genius replied while sitting up and retrieving Twinkle from the dresser near the bed.

The ex-assassin merely observed the smaller girl wordlessly as she brought the sword over and unsheathed it.

"If our theory is correct, Twinkle is made to absorb unholy energy right…?"

"From what we've seen yes."

"So we should be able to tell whether the powers that you're using are innate abilities that you're gaining just from being around magic or if you're tapping into Shabranigdo's essence to use them this way…"

"What way?" The larger girl asked unsurely.

"Charge her." The sorceress said while holding out the sword to the ex-assassin. "If Twinkle holds the charge just fine, you're in the clear… if she rejects it or starts glowing blue and absorbs it…" Lina explained before trailing off and leaving the last part gratefully unsaid.

"I'm… I'm not sure I want to know…" Katibree said while taking the weapon from the redhead and studying it.

"I'm not sure I want to know either Babe, but it's a subject that we can't ignore any longer and hope that it'll just go away." The sorcery genius said gently. "Either way, it's better that we know now, than this possibly coming back and biting us in the ass later."

"You're right, as usual…" The older girl agreed with a sigh before holding the blade up somewhat unsteadily and talking a deep breath before closing her lavender colored eyes and finally charging it.

The blade lit up with a brilliant crimson that filled the entire dark room with a red glow.

(L) "Ok… she took the charge… but from what I can tell from the incident earlier today, she works gradually because there was a serious delay before she started to work on Rahtarimu; so we aren't quite out of the woods yet…" The redhead mused while studying the various highlighted symbols on the blade as the half drow opened her eyes with a small sigh of relief. _You know, now that I'm really thinking about it… those markings almost look…__**Dwarven**__…but that really doesn't make any sense…_

"Well at least she didn't just flat out reject the energy." The ex-assassin said while waiting apprehensively.

"…………..I'd say right about now is when she started glowing and absorbing Rahtarimu…" Lina said after what seemed like forever to both of them. "I'd still give it another good minute though just to sure…"

After another tense minute, the charge still held true and there was no blue glowing or absorbing to speak of as both girls let out a deep sigh and Katibree dispelled the charge on Twinkle is indescribable relief before re-sheathing the weapon.

(L) "**Man** is that a load of my mind!" The sorceress exclaimed while sprawling out on her stomach on the bed as the half elf returned Twinkle to her former position in the drawer next to the bed.

"Yours and mine both." The mostly platinum haired warrior agreed while returning to the bed and straddling the smaller girl, beginning to kneed the tension out of her shoulders and being rewarded with a moan of approval from the sorceress.

"Oh Gods, Kat… I've missed all of this like we haven't been alone together for a year instead of one week…" Lina said while virtually melting into the bed.

"It's a good feeling." Katibree agreed with a content but tired little smile on her face.

"…Are you gonna stay the night…?" The sorceress murmured sleepily. "I miss sleeping next to you."

"It'll take some finesse to get out of here unnoticed first thing in the morning, but I think I can definitely deal with that." The half elf replied while leaning forward to work on the muscles between the redhead's shoulder blades.

(K) "So now that we have that issue resolved for right now at least… is there anything else you wanted to go over…?" The ex-assassin asked after a long moment of no response from the younger girl. "Red…?" She called quietly.

The exhausted sorcery genius had fallen fast asleep.


	57. Chapter 57

**Getting Down To Business**

Lina awoke early the next morning with a surprised gasp as her back began to arch reflexively. "What - - ah ooooooh….!" She began disorientedly before finally comprehending what was happening and hurriedly reaching for a pillow with a throaty moan and pressing it to her face as the unexpected but welcome sensation of her climaxing caused her to squeal loudly into it.

"…Oh Gods….." The redhead finally breathed after taking a moment to gain her bearings before tossing the pillow aside as the feeling subsided while lifting her head slightly and glancing down at the reason for her unexpected wake up call. "…Well good morning to you too!" She finally laughed after getting over her shock.

"Right back at ya." Katibree said with a grin before crawling up from her previous position to give the younger girl a quick kiss. "I've got to get going before the sun is fully up though."

"You don't want me to return the favor…?" The smaller girl asked with a lazy little smile.

"No time, I'm already pushing my luck of getting out of here undetected as it is." The ex-assassin replied while getting up and heading to the window. "See you at breakfast in the royal conference room, Lover." She added with a little wink before slipping out of the window and closing it behind her soundlessly as the younger girl dropped her head back down onto a pillow with a content sigh.

"Mmmmmm… coulda swore she just had that…" "The sorceress said while basking in the afterglow with a giggle and extravagant stretch while relishing the feel of the royal bed sheets and comforters that she was partially entwined in. _I was actually planning to sleep in some this morning just because yesterday was such a disaster… but I'm wide awake now thanks to Kat…_

_And I'm __**hungry**__ too…guess there's nothing like jumpstarting your morning by waking up mid-orgasm to work up an appetite. _The sorcery genius continued to herself wryly while finally managing to pry herself from the comfort of the luxurious bed to go about her morning routine. _I don't even remember falling asleep last night…I slept like the dead, and I feel great this morning, but I was really hoping to spend more time with her conscious…_She thought while brushing out her hair.

"Guess it can't be helped." Lina said audibly around the toothbrush in her mouth while cracking the door to her room cautiously as she was currently devoid of pants although the nightshirt she was wearing was a decent length, and seeing that her sorceresses gear had been cleaned and repaired overnight and placed in a hamper nearby. _I'd wonder if anyone overheard my little episode last night, but the fabric portions are still warm like it's straight out of the dryer… and besides, these walls are even thicker than regular castle walls for security reasons…_She continued to herself while wheeling the hamper in before retrieving her things from it.

After going about the task of brushing her teeth and taking a quick shower, the sorcery genius donned her gear before turning and giving herself a once over in the mirror with a flamboyant flip of her still slightly damp hair. "Lookin' good Lina!" She complimented herself with a trademark Lina Inverse wink before turning to head for the door with flair of her cape. _Time to get down to business._

The redhead briskly walked down the expansive corridors before faltering slightly as a pair of guards hesitated a moment before simultaneously saluting her as she passed. _…What was that all about…? _She wondered before quickening her pace once more, leaving the question for later contemplation… preferably on a full stomach.

A short time later, she made it to the doors of the conference room and was greeted by a cheerful as ever Amelia.

"Good morning Miss Lina, you sure are up bright and early!" The princess chirped.

"Yeah, I was actually planning on sleeping in some today… but I was wide awake this morning for some reason…" Lina explained while rubbing the back of her neck with a laugh and a slight blush. "I see you broke out the ol' 'warrior of justice' outfit from old times for today." She added while tapping one of the Seyruun Princess's blue, star embedded tassels with a grin.

"Yeah, it's pretty nostalgic huh?" Amelia agreed with a giggle. "I had to have some adjustments made to it because I've grown a little bit over the past two years though…"

"Yeah, I noticed…!" Lina laughed before trailing off as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, and what's up with your guards going around saluting me all of a sudden Amelia?"

"…Well about that…" The princess began somewhat sheepishly. "After that whole fiasco with Mr. Shemlee yesterday, a group of guards came up to me about it as I was headed to bed…"

"Yeah…and….?" The redhead prodded suspiciously.

"…And they were basically confused about the policy as far as honored guests go, because normally even a person of that status wouldn't have the authorization to override a captain's authority like you did." Amelia continued to explain. "So because of that, they were having trouble figuring out what to view you as, or how exactly you were supposed to be addressed and treated as apposed to other honored guests that we have visit here…"

"Go on Amelia, I'm still listening…" The sorcery genius prodded once more while folding her arms and lowering her eyelids.

"Uhm, well after thinking about it a second… I told them to just consider you as an honored guest who has the authority of a commander…" The princess finished with a nervous little laugh.

"The authority of a **commander**." The sorceress deadpanned.

"I guess they sort of took it literally, huh?"

"**Sort** of… I just had a lieutenant and captain of **your** elite guard **salute** me Amelia."

"Is it really that big of a deal…?" Amelia asked with a sheepish look. "I mean, if anything major like a war were to happen, Daddy and I would probably end up sending a request for you to come and help anyway." "And as good as you are with coming up with tactics and winning strategies, you'd probably end up commanding a unit or two as it is…"

"Regardless of that, isn't it still pretty drastic to just go and appoint someone with that rank out of the blue like that?" Lina asked while rising a single crimson eyebrow. "I'm not even really affiliated with Seyruun in anyway technically."

"Well, it's not really an official rank or anything, but it's not like Seyruun would be properly prepared to handle anything like a war on our own; we've always followed the practices of nonviolence whenever we can, so normally we just bring in people who specialize in what we need to be taken care of as it is." The princess explained. _That's actually how we ended up with Mr. Shemlee as Captain of security now that I'm really thinking about it… He was brought in from Atlas City if I remember correctly…Neither Daddy or I ever particularly cared for the man, but he was good at what he did…_

"……I guess it does make sense when you put it that way." The sorcery genius mused while scratching the back of her head thoughtfully. "Have ya cleared this with Phil?"

"Oh, Daddy and I already had a discussion similar to this back when we were having issues with the Kingdom of Zoanna actually; even back then he was prepared to give you official ranking should a war break out to help with strategy and the like." _Granted Miss Lina took care of that issue all together by wiping out the entire kingdom with a Dragon Slave…_ (1.) The younger girl added to herself with a sweat-drop.

"Zoanna…" The redhead mused with a hand to her chin. "That's right, that whole deal with the book of Zoanna!" "Hey, didn't I - -?"

The Seyruun princess interrupted her with a nod and an even larger sweat-drop. "That's the entire reason that Miss Martina was after your hide for so long, remember…?" She asked.

"Martina… **that's** a name that I haven't heard in quite awhile... wonder what her an Zangulas are up to these days - -?"

(?) "Why if it isn't Miss **Lina**!" A booming, gruff sounding voice behind the sorcery genius exclaimed.

(L) _And that's a __**voice**__ I haven't heard in quite awhile…_Lina thought to herself with a sweat-drop of her own. "…Heya, Phil!" She said after turning to greet the bear of a man as he approached.

"Hi, Daddy!" Amelia called while waving happily. "He just got back late last night…" She explained just before the startled sorceress was swooped up into an 'overgrown dwarf' hug.

(L) "It's good to… see you too!" The redhead managed to squeak as she was crushed before being placed back on her feet.

(P) "I heard you caused quite the stir upon your arrival with your companions Miss Lina, but I suppose I shouldn't have expected a quiet return whenever you're concerned!" The burly prince (2.) laughed heartily.

"That's the same thing Amelia said!" Lina replied while nursing her aching ribs with a chuckle as she spied a certain half elf heading their way as well. _What's that she has draped over her arm…? _She wondered.

(P) "So who is this person that got the castle guards so riled up anyway Miss Lina?" Phil asked with interest.

"Actually here she comes right now…" The redhead replied while nodding in the ex-assassin's direction, prompting the bear of a man to turn around. "Prince Philionel, meet Katibree, Katibree… Prince Philionel." She introduced decidedly more cordially than usual once the two where face to face.

(K) "It's an honor to finally meet you Prince Philionel El Di Seyruun, the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun is every bit as impressive as I've heard it is." Katibree said with a deep bow.

(L) _Jeez Kat, if ya lay it on any thicker we'll all be slipping in it… _The sorceress thought to herself while stifling a laugh.

(P) "Oh, hoo, **hoo**…such **manners**…!" Philionel exclaimed in genuine pleasure. "This truly is a **great** Kingdom, founded on the practices and beliefs of nonviolence and more importantly truth and **justice**!" He began as Amelia played cheerleader in the background and a certain sorcery genius covered her face in mortification.

"It greatly pleases me that you recognize the merits that this Kingdom has worked so hard to uphold!" The bear of a man added while giving the half drow a meaningful look that only she caught.

"Indeed your Highness, and it's my every intention to honor and abide by the beliefs and practices of this great Kingdom as well." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied with another cordial bow.

"…Excellent!" Phil bellowed approvingly after studying the ex-assassin a moment more before turning his attention back to the sorceresses once more. "Oh… and one more thing Miss Katibree…" He added while turning back to her.

"Your Highness?"

"You wouldn't happen to be of relation to Mr. Zelgadis Greywords would you…?" Phil asked with a playful twinkle in his eye as the half elf face-faulted and the sorceress duo began to snicker.

(L) "You totally set that up with Phil last night didn't you…?" The redhead asked the princess with a laugh.

"Guilty as charged!" Amelia admitted with a giggle as Katibree picked herself up off the ground with a resigned sigh.

(K) "Ha… ha…. ha." The half elf said. "Laugh it up girls…" "And speaking of jokes Princess Seyruun, when I asked for a replacement cloak… this isn't exactly what I had in mind…" She added while holding up a white cloak accented with intricate cerulean blue patterns along the seams with a sweat-drop.

"Oh that…" The Seyruun Princess said with a mischievous little smirk. "It's my belief that any new and up and coming warrior of justice should get in the practice of wearing white…"

(P) "And if I remember correctly… you did just state that it was your full intention to honor and abide by the beliefs and practices of this Kingdom…" Philionel mused while placing a hand on his chin in mock thoughtfulness.

(L) "I think you'd look good in white, Kat…" Lina agreed while struggling to keep a straight face as Gourry and Sylphiel came strolling up while Katibree donned the gleaming white cloak with a quiet grumble.

(G) "Heya Phil!" Gourry said with a cheerful wave.

"It's good to see you Mr. Gourry, and you too Miss Sylphiel!" The bear of a man exclaimed happily. "It joys me to see that you are both well!"

(S) "It's good to you again too Prince Phil!" The once again raven haired girl said happily.

(G) "Nice cloak Katibree, I'd definitely say that white's your color!" The swordsman savant teased while patting the half drow on the shoulder.

The mostly platinum haired warrior turned to the blonde warrior with a sweet smile at this "Dry up and die, Gabriev…" She replied pleasantly while returning the shoulder slap, triggering even more laughter from the others.

(A) "Alright, now that we're all here, shall we get down to business?" The Seyruun Princess asked with a giggle. "The cooks should be just about done setting the food out."

(L) "Our favorite princess just said the magic word!" Lina agreed vigorously. "And what's that magic word, Gourry…?" She added with a grin.

"_**Food**_!" The blonde warrior exclaimed while pumping a fist in the air.

"Oh yeah!" The redhead affirmed while opening the door to the conference room before squealing happily as the aroma of royal breakfast cuisine wafted out to her. "**Oh**, dibs on the bacon wraps!" She added as she made a b-line for the table with the swordsman savant hot on her heels.

"Hey, you can't just call dibs on **all** of them Lina!" Gourry complained as they began to eat before the others had even made it the entire way to the table.

"I **can**, and I just **did**!" Lina said around a mouthful of bacon wrap.

(P) "Those two haven't changed a bit!" Prince Philionel said with a boisterous laugh as he seated himself at the table.

(A) "They really haven't!" Amelia agreed as she took her own seat and began to pile various foods on her plate.

Katibree merely shook her head with a small smile before scooping some eggs onto her plate and handing the serving platter to Sylphiel afterwards.

Quite a while later, after the feeding frenzy had died down, Lina downed the rest of her juice and stood up with a serious expression on her face, placing both white gloved hands on the table. "Ok, time to get down to business." She said before pausing to make sure that she had everyone's attention… well….mostly everyone's attention as she glanced over at Gourry who was still chowing down noisily with a small sweat-drop.

"Anyway, we've got ourselves in quite a pickle here gang…" The redhead continued as the swordsman savant looked up at the word 'pickle' before returning to eating. "And before we even get started here, Amelia and Phil…" She said while switching her ruby colored gaze to first one and then the other. "I want to stress the fact that we came here **purely** for the purpose of regrouping, and to warn you that the enemy may view either of you as viable targets to attack in an effort to lure me out."

(L) "I understand fully that you two have a kingdom to run, and I in no way expect you to go actively jumping into **my** mess." The sorcery genius clarified.

Philionel nodded affirmatively with a grunt at this, Amelia merely looked worried.

"Now that **that's** out of the way, we're on to pressing issues." Lina continued while giving her hair a little flip over the shoulder before making eye contact with most of the gang, one after the other as she spoke. "The root of this issue began with… what I guess you could call an old grudge that a monster named Soshurn has with me."

"Now normally this wouldn't be an issue because Soshurn is only a mid level monster, but now he's somehow found out a way to clone other Mazoku…" She continued as she removed her hands from the table and began to pace slowly back and forth along the length of it with her arms folded while looking up at the ceiling as four pairs of eyes varying in color followed her movements intently.

"And we're not talking your typical lesser demon cannon fodder lackeys here either… we're talking honest to goodness Mazoku mid-carders that are nearly as powerful as Soshurn himself." The redhead explained before pausing for emphasis as the Seyruun Princess's cerulean colored eyes began to widen in borderline horror.

"So far we've fought a total of 9 copies of the same three individual monsters… Zifolis, Filzinia, and Rahtarimu…" The sorcery genius continued while clasping her hands behind her head as she walked. "The last of the 3 being the designated **moron** of the bunch…" She added while shooting Sylphiel a grin and a little wink, causing the shrine maiden to begin to giggle.

"And out of those 9 copies that we've had to engage… 6 we were forced to take on yesterday…" Lina continued while stopping to gaze out a window as she spoke.

(A) "All at the same **time**??" Amelia couldn't help but blurt.

"Well, the battle ultimately ended up splitting into 3 separate skirmishes… but they all basically started at the same time, yes." Lina answered while turning to address the princess.

(S) "The monsters took advantage of us already being split up after our battle with a titan that was destroying a town and attacked us directly afterwards." The raven haired girl added.

(A) "So you guys had two huge battles back to back then…" Amelia mused. "You all seem to like to fight even more now than you ever did before.." She teased.

(K) "Yeah, and right before you showed up, we were even spoiling for a rumble with your guards as well…" Katibree added wryly.

(A) "Looks like you guys just can't get enough!" The princess giggled.

(L) "Yesterday was definitely a pretty rough day…" The redhead agreed while stifling a laugh. "But, back to the subject at hand… the first time we fought them in Stock Town there were only the **3** individual monsters…" "But yesterday Soshurn sent **6** after us instead…."

(K) "Well the way it's starting to look to me simply because of the fact that we hadn't heard anything from Soshurn at all up until a little over a week ago since the day he tucked tail and ran from us all those moths ago…" Katibree began while leaning back in her chair slightly. "…Is that he didn't develop this technology or whatever it is that he is using to make the copies until just recently."

(L) "Yeah, that would make sense…" The sorceress mused while leaning up against the wall next to the window that she'd just been looking out of. "He definitely would have used more monsters for the ambush on me if he'd had access to them just to try and guarantee a victory for himself." _Which also suggests that he's working alone… which for the most part rules out the idea of Beast Master and Xellos working with him…Those two always cover their bases and would have sent in more of a force to try and finish the job if they were really trying to take me out because Zellas has finally decided that I've become too big of a threat…_

(S) "So… if we were attacked by six more copies a week later, does that mean that's how long it takes to make them…?" Sylphiel asked. "Basically a little over a day to create each one…?"

(L) "I think that's a pretty solid theory to work with, Sylphiel." Lina affirmed. "I mean, if Soshurn could have attacked us with 20 or even 30 copies yesterday, he would have done it." "Especially considering he knows that I have back up now." _Gods… that's like 24 Mazoku copies a month if he has the resources to make them consistently… _She added to herself with a little frown.

(K) _It looks like Red just did the math too… _The ex-assassin thought to herself while taking the sorceress's silence as her cue to speak. "There's another thing to take into consideration as well…" She said while clasping her hands behind her head with a sigh. "Zifolis, who seems to me to basically be the leader of the trio, has been cloned 4 times…" "A clone showed up in Stock Town that we had to deal with… and then yesterday, there were originally two Zifolis clones at the start of the fight, but after one was killed, a third clone that had been preparing a sneak attack in the astral plane took it's place immediately afterwards."

(S) "That's right, and Rahtarimu has only been cloned 3 times…" The shrine maiden piped up.

(L) "Which leaves Filzinia, who's only been cloned 2 times to our knowledge." The sorcery genius finished as she shoved off from the wall she'd been leaning on with a shoulder and began slowly pacing again while in thought as Amelia, Katibree, Phil and Sylphiel looked on expectantly.

"Now from what I can tell, aside from being smarter than the other two, Zifolis is just your average run of the mill mid level monster." Lina began once more after a short moment of silence as she thought. "He really doesn't have that impressive of an arsenal as far as energy attacks go, he primarily relies of melee when he fights." "I'm willing to bet that the copy that was waiting to ambush Kat and I in the astral plane had to charge the attack he unleashed on us for a pretty long time to get the resulting explosion to even **begin** to have the kick that it **did**."

(K) "If you put it that way, that may have been the reason that he didn't start out with the other two at the beginning of the battle to begin with…" The half drow mused.

"That's true, but they already had Filzinia as backup in the firepower department…" The redhead replied. "But then again, Filzinia didn't have the element of surprise like the third Zifolis did… either way, right now that's all pretty much a moot point."

"Moving on to Rahtarimu… he may be a retard, but I'd definitely have to say that he's stronger than Zifolis, although not by much." The sorceress continued while stopping a moment near the end of the table before beginning to slowly pace once more. "As far as slipping in and out of the astral plane and using his energy goes, he's got a pretty good handle on it." "A better one than Zifolis does anyway…"

"Which leads me to Filzinia, who looks the closest to human out of the bunch…" Lina continued with a small frown. "Just because of **that** fact, it automatically leads me to believe that she's the most powerful out of the 3, because as a general rule, the more powerful the monster, the more human they can make themselves look when they materialize in this realm…" "She doesn't seem to be all that great at astral plane tag, but she **can** gather a huge amount of energy in a very short time which is why she's been designated the firepower back up so far." "And on top of that she's got manipulating her form pretty much down as well."

(P) "So are you suggesting that these creatures of darkness take more or less time to create depending on how strong they are then Miss Lina?" Prince Philionel asked.

"It's starting to look that way, yes." The sorceress replied while pouring herself another glass of juice.

(S) "So…. What now…?" Sylphiel asked tentatively.

"Well considering what we're dealing with here…" The sorcery genius mused while sipping at her juice. "Because of the fact that monsters normally reside in the astral plane, which is basically the spiritual realm… while taking into consideration the fact that Mazoku that are powerful enough **can** make minions for themselves naturally , but not the same exact minion over and over again…" "I'd say that in order to clone **anything**, Soshurn would have to have set up some type of connections here in the material world considering that there's no way to build any gadgets or anything of the like in a totally spirit world with no solid materials to speak of…"

(A) "So you think that this Mazoku is in cahoots with some person making these copies for him here in our dimension then Miss Lina?" Amelia asked while leaning forward in her chair in interest.

"He'd basically **have** to be considering the fact that monsters have to rely on their own abilities for whatever they do directly or be injured or die depending on what they're relying on to help them…" "Lina replied. "Hell Master Phibrizzo even told me once that even if he **were** capable of casting the Giga Slave himself, he'd be dead before he was even halfway through the incantation because Mazoku thrive on confidence." (3.) "Calling on the power of the Lord of Nightmares would pretty much be admitting that he wasn't strong enough to do the task required on his own which is basically suicide to a monster." The sorcery genius explained with a quiet sigh.

"Either way, now that I'm really thinking about it… all of this comes down to research on immortality all over again…" Lina deducted with a little smirk. Halcyform would have been ecstatic." (4.)

(S) "What do you mean by that Miss Lina…?" Sylphiel asked.

"Heh, we've all come to the conclusion that since monsters reside in the spirit realm, when they materialize here, they basically just count as high density ghosts right…? The redhead asked.

Everyone nodded in affirmation, other than a certain swordsman savant who was currently napping.

"So that pretty much means that Mazoku are just powerful, high density souls technically right…?" The sorcery genius prodded.

(A) "…And that was exactly Mr. Halycyform's problem…!" Amelia exclaimed suddenly. "He'd figured out a way to bring the body of Miss Rubia back to life, but couldn't find a way to bring back her soul!"

"Bingo Amelia." Lina affirmed with a nod. "So that means that all we have to do is do our homework and make a list of all the people researching that line of business, and then weed our possible suspects out or get a lead in order to just cut to the chase and shut Soshurn's entire operation down altogether."

(S) "Where would we even begin to look for places like that Miss Lina…?" The raven haired girl asked.

"Well Seyruun's got places that do research on that type of thing… don't they Phil?" Lina asked.

"Seyruun certainly has research teams, but not for anything as controversial as that…" Phil mused. "The largest most influential one studies new ways to meld technology and magic… the team was originally assembled shortly after the outer barrier disappeared, but grew very quickly afterwards."

"Ok, well that team may not specifically be involved in cloning or immortality research, but chances are we'll be able to get some type of information there, and maybe even a lead or two." The redhead deducted. "So where are they set up?"

(A) "…I believe they're located across from the Collaborative Seyruun Library actually." Amelia replied after a moment of thought.

"Alright then, that's where we'll need to head to." The sorceress said while walking over to a still snoring Gourry as everyone else stood from the table. "Come on Gourry, didn't ya get enough sleep last night?" She asked while shaking him by the shoulders.

"Wha… is it time for desert…?" The swordsman asked while blinking awake.

"Actually it's time to do some footwork, but we can grab something on the way if you want." Lina replied with a little stretch.

"Oh Ok, so where are we going Lina?" The blonde swordsman asked while standing.

"Seyruun's top research facility." The redhead answered while heading for the door as everyone followed behind her. "Even if what they're studying has nothing to do with what we're trying to look into, they're **still** researchers… which means that they most likely have peers that are into it, or know of people who are."

"Uh… Ok…" Gourry replied hesitantly.

"You didn't follow any of that did you…?" The sorceress asked with lowered eyelids.

"…Not a word!" The swordsman savant admitted while rubbing the back of his neck with a laugh.

"That figures…" Lina said while stifling a laugh of her own. "Never mind then… when we get there, just stand by me and try and act like you know what we're talking about… you know the drill."

"That I do follow!" The blonde warrior affirmed with a grin. "Standby to poke things with my point stick if needed right?"

"You've got it!" The sorcery genius agreed with a grin as she made her way out of the castle before turning to say goodbye to Amelia and Phil.

(L) "Depending on what we find out when we go and talk to the research team, we may end up just hitting the road immediately afterwards considering we're dealing with quite the time crunch here." The redhead began while rustling her crimson colored mane slightly. "So I guess it's be better to say bye now just incase…" She explained with a little laugh.

(A)"Wait Miss Lina!" Amelia suddenly said before turning to her father. "Daddy, I want to go with them."

"But daughter, Miss Lina already explained that this is an **extremely** dangerous situation and that she doesn't expect either of us to become actively involved…"

"I….I know, but Miss Lina has always been there for us, and I want to be there for her too." The princess explained.

"I see… I do suppose that it would only be just…" Phil mused with a worried expression on his face. "…Alright then, come here and give your father a **hug**!" He finally conceded as the Seyruun Princess leapt into his arms. _At least she won't be facing some Dark Lord this time… _

"Oh **thank** you Daddy!" Amelia squealed happily.

"You be careful out there daughter!"

"Ok… I will!" The Seyruun Princess chirped before practically skipping over to join the rest of the gang.

(L) "Relax Amelia, it's not like we're going on a fieldtrip or something …" Lina said with a chuckle. "It's good ta have ya though!"

(G) "**Yeah**, welcome back Amelia!" Gourry agreed heartily.

(S) "Welcome back to the team, Miss Amelia!"

(K) "I've never adventured with royalty before…" Katibree began with a grin. "But either way it's good to have you onboard Princess Seyruun."

"Hee hee, on the road I'm just one of the gang…so you really don't need to be so formal anymore Miss Katibree, Amelia's just fine!"

"Sorry about that, force of habit…" The half elf laughed. "I'll try and work on it."

"It's alright…" Amelia replied. "It's just good to getaway sometimes you know…?"

"I think I just might." The half drow answered with a little smile. "Allot of responsibility huh?"

"Yeah, it really is…" The Seyruun princess replied with a sigh. "Anyway, shall we get going?"

(L) "That sounds like a plan Amelia… so on to victory…?" Lina asked the team with a wink and a victory sign.

"On to **victory**!" Everyone exclaimed back in unison with assorted fists in the air.

The sorcery genius flashed a dazzling smile at this. "You **know** it, lets go set em up and knock em **down**!"

With that, the crew made their way to the research facility with yet another much missed ally at their side.

Authors Notes:

(1.) The incident with Lina basically vaporizing the Kingdom of Zoanna with a Dragon Slave took place in Slayers NEXT.

(2.) Although Pilionel goes by the title of 'Prince', he's technically King of Seyruun. He just won't answer to the title because he refuses to beleive that the true King that disappeared and never returned will never come back.

(3.) This conversation that Lina had with Hell Master Phabrizzo didn't actually take place in the anime, it was information I got from a manga or novel... forgot which one.

(4.) The gang (Katibree and Phil excluded) met up with Halcyform The White who was conducting experiments to try and bring his dead wife back to life in Slayers NEXT.


	58. Chapter 58

**Lettin' Off Some Steam**

(L) "Hellooooo… anyone **here**…?" Lina called after opening up a metal reinforced door and peering into a fairly uninspiringly decorated corridor before entering with the gang behind her.

Moments later a tall attractive redhead in a lab coat exited a room down the hall with a clipboard and made her way to them. "Welcome to World Wide Energies (1.) where we research new and improved ways to combine magic with technology, my name is Professor Helmsly… is there something I can assist you with today?" She inquired pleasantly.

"…Yeah, there is actually." The shorter redhead began after sizing the woman up a moment more and placing a hand on her hip. "Now I know that this isn't really all that related to the field you guys deal with around here, but we've come to see what you guys would be able to tell us about cloning and immortality research."

"My… that is a very controversial line of research…" The woman began, obviously immediately uneasy with the subjects. "Practically any scientist or mage that even shows too great of an **interest** in it is eventually shunned by the rest of their peers… Research of the sort simply isn't even allowed in most places."

"Well shunned or not, you're all still peers." The sorcery genius said. "Do you know of anyone who may still currently be into it and or where they might be…? We need to get some more detailed information on it in order to find and shutdown an illegal operation that's been going on involving that type of stuff."

"Oh my stars, that truly awful…" The professor said with a hand to her mouth. "Well… I can give you some basic information…" She finally mused.

"Go ahead and shoot." The sorceress said while folding her arms.

"Well, the entire premise of cloning itself is completely and totally possible; all that would be needed is a bit of skin or… even hair from the being that is to be copied." The woman began to explain with a hand on her chin. "The main kink that scientist are running into is the immortality part… When a being is cloned, a brand new soul is developed right along with the rest of the body, where as true immortality would be placing an old soul in a new healthy body."

"So… souls **can't** be cloned separately then…?" Lina asked.

"Theoretically they can, but the problem with that is extracting the actual soul that's to be cloned…" The tall redhead continued to explain. "With the current techniques available, it's never been documented that even a small portion of a soul can be extracted without causing serious trauma to the subject or downright killing them which is why the research is banned in most places to begin with, and even if there were a way around that, there would still be the issue of the getting the old soul back into the new body occupied by the new soul… I apologize but that's about the extent of my knowledge as far as that goes." She finally finished.

_Bingo. _Lina thought to herself grimly. "Thanks Professor Helmsly, you've been a great help, but I have just one more question…"

"Err…yes… Miss Inverse…?" The woman inquired decidedly more meekly than when they'd first met.

_Guess it took her a second, but it finally dawned on her just exactly who I am. _The redhead thought to herself with more than a little satisfaction. "Where would an illegal operation like this most likely have the chance of going unnoticed or unhindered, and does a name come to your mind as to who may be involved in something like it…?"

"Let's see…." The woman mused. "Well for shady operations going unhindered I'd definitely say 'The Gauntlet…"

_I thought she might say that…_

"But… there's no known facility there… and on top of that, you're after scientists, not thugs, bandits, and thieves… I really don't see a researcher willingly running an operation out of there - - Oh, there's New Zoanna!" She suddenly blurted. "The workings there are definitely less crooked since it was destroyed and rebuilt a few years ago, and the Kingdom is significantly smaller now, but the new Queen and King will turn a blind eye to just about anything as long as it's not causing trouble for them directly from what I've heard… I've also heard the law there is to worship a Dark Lord that's never even been heard of, and after that you can pretty much do whatever you want…" (2.) She mused more to herself than anyone else.

"That definitely sounds like Martina and Zangulas…!" Lina agreed with a laugh.

"Pardon me…?" The taller redhead inquired.

"Oh nothing!" The sorceress replied with a smirk and a dismissive gesture. "So no names come to mind for you then…?"

"….I'm sorry, but no Miss Inverse." The professor reiterated apologetically.

"…No biggie, I think that's a pretty decent led for now." Lina finally replied before turning to leave, prompting the group to follow suit. "Looks like we get to pay 'Queen' Martina a visit after all Amelia."

"Mum hum, it'll be good to see what she's up to after all this time." The Seyruun princess agreed as they all exited, letting the metal door close behind them with a **BOOM** as Professor Helmsly sighed with relief.

"Being around someone that powerful is just nerve wracking… and those **eyes,** they really **are** the color the legends say, I'm just glad the laboratory is still in one piece…" The woman said to herself while wiping her brow somewhat unsteadily before turning to go about continuing the task she was in the middle of before the team arrived.

(K) "So it's clear that we need to head to the Kingdom of Zoanna now, but the question is… How exactly are we planning to get there…?" Katibree asked as the gang left the grounds of the research facility and inevitably gravitated in the direction of the food court area for 'dessert'.

_Oh yeah… I hadn't actually thought about that part yet…_The redhead thought to herself somewhat sheepishly. _It's not like we've got Sirius on call to just whisk us there too…_"Well isn't it obvious…?" She stalled while walking up to a stand and beginning to pick out various fruits from it while tossing some into Gourry arms as well. "We go by horseback of course."

"Horseback huh?" The half elf asked with a grin.

"Yeah why not?" The sorceress answered before tossing some coin on the merchant's counter and biting into an apple. "Amelia's got the resources to set us up with mounts to use, and since we're dealing with a time crunch… it'd definitely be faster than walking. And besides, the way I figure it… there's really no need to go incognito anymore; if Soshurn gets impatient and decides to send a couple more clones at us on the way there, that's less that we'll have to deal with later."

(A) "Miss Lina, you always seem to have a plan at the ready ahead of time!" Amelia said cheerfully as Sylphiel praised her as well, nodding vigorously as the younger shrine maiden turned to a passing town guard to get his attention.

(K) "Indeed." The ex-assassin agreed while stifling a little laugh as she observed the sweat-dropping sorcery genius as she and the swordsman savant nosily ate their dessert.

(L) "…What?" Lina finally balked around a mouthful of banana after the half elf had stared long enough.

"Oh… nothing." The older girl answered with a careless little shrug before turning to converse with Sylphiel until Amelia was through speaking with the town guard.

(A) "Ok, we're all set!" The Seyruun princess chirped a few moments later. "The mounts will be brought here in just a few moments… Should we get provisions for the trip do you think Miss Lina?"

"Well…" The sorceress began before adjusting her armload of food before scratching her head in thought. "We could, but it's going to be a fairly short trip on horseback… I think we'd do alright just foraging honestly." _And putting a certain o-so-smug half drow to work as well… Amelia eats nearly as much as Gourry and I do when she's hungry enough. _She added to herself with a satisfied little smirk.

"That works for me!" The princess replied sunnily. "Miss Sylphiel told me that Miss Katibree normally cooks for everyone on the road and that it's always really good, so I've been kind of curious to try it actually…"

"It really is, she even managed to make bear meat taste good at one point even though normally it's so greasy and gross." The redhead mused. "I guess part of the reason is the fact that she picks her own spices and dries them herself when she comes across them to season whatever she happens to be cooking at the time."

Just then, a few guards and a stable boy came walking up with 4 horses. "My apologizes your highness…" A guard began as he and the others behind him bowed deeply. "But we were only able to acquire 4 steeds as a very large group of soldiers have gone out to scout the area for potential threats and a mandatory amount of spare mounts are required should there be an emergency that needs them."

(A) _That's right, I nearly forgot about that situation with Kingdom Sonnas awhile back… we still don't know where they stand as far as intentions go… _Amelia thought to herself. _And I already know that Miss Lina will be too cheap to just buy a horse, and there aren't any places that I know of to rent one here for more than a few hours at a time…_ "Well, I guess one of us could just double up - -"

Sylphiel turned from her conversation with Katibree and piped up at this immediately. "**Oh**, I could double up with Gourry Dear… That is… if he doesn't mind at all…" She added shyly.

(L) _Can't say I didn't see that one coming a mile away. _Lina deadpanned mentally. _Oh well, it's not like I wouldn't get more than one strange look if I said: "Oh no that's ok, Kat and I'll do it!" It'd definitely be nice to not need an excuse to get so close to her for once, but Sylphiel riding with Gourry is definitely the least complicated option here. _"So what do ya say big guy…?" She turned to ask while slapping a shoulder guard to get the attention of the still oblivious swordsman savant that was working on polishing off the last of his food.

"What do I say to what?" The blonde swordsman asked while licking his fingers.

"We're a horse short, so Sylphiel here came up with the idea of riding with you." The redhead explained with a shrug.

"Huh…?" The master swordsman asked with a blink before glancing over at the mounts. "Oh yeah sure, you can ride with me Sylphiel." He finally agreed pleasantly.

The shrine maiden merely nodded in affirmation at this before averting her jade colored eyes with a slight blush.

Lina merely rolled her own ruby colored eyes at this. _Jeez Sylphiel, how are ya ever gonna work up the courage to try and ask him out if you get __**this**__ shy just thinking about sharing a horse with him…? _She thought with a sigh as she stored the rest of her 'desert' in a travel pack for later consumption. _Oh well… I guess I really don't have much room to talk, I was pretty shy at one time too and even now I still have my moments. _"Alright, let's find a mount and saddle up gang! We've got people to see, bandits to kill along the way, and monsters to make wish they were never **cloned**!" She exclaimed after securing her pack and flipping herself up onto the head steed's saddle.

(G) "Oh yeah!" Gourry exclaimed while slinging himself into his own saddle before helping Sylphiel up into it.

(A) "For Justice!" Amelia cheered while getting on her own steed.

(S) "Let's do it Miss Lina!" The shrine maiden agreed as she situated herself behind the swordsman daintily.

(K) "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Katibree affirmed with a slap to her weapons before jettisoning herself into her own saddle as well in a fluid motion, not even bothering with the stirrups. _Finally some more __**action**__, I've been __**itching**__ to take another crack at these fuckers!_

With this, the party rode off toward the boarders of Seyruun and uncertainty ready for the world.

Several hours later just after dusk…

(S) "Aiiieeeee…!" Sylphiel exclaimed as a multitude of undead creatures began to pull themselves out of the ground around the party while groaning in that way that the undead tend to. "Zombies… I… I can't stand zombies…!"

(L) "This is it…?" Lina asked dejectedly. "I've been looking for a fight **all** day long and there's only like… **50** of them…"

(K) "Pretty disappointing…" Katibree agreed while hopping down from her mount with a sigh before faltering and looking over at the blonde warrior with a growing smile.

(G) "I'll say…" Gourry replied while kicking out absently at an approaching ghoul and dislodging it's head from it's body before jumping down from his own horse while getting an idea and looking over at the mostly platinum hair warrior with a grin of his own.

(A) "I guess this area is cursed land or something…" Amelia said quietly.

(L) "Yeah, well you or Sylphiel can try and purify it or whatever once we get rid of these nuisances if you want to." The redhead replied before turning to a group of zombies nearing her with a bored expression on her face while holding out a hand as her palm began to glow an orange color. "Burst - - "She began to chant before being interrupted by Katibree.

"Hold it Red, what's the fun in doing it that way…?" The half elf asked with a smirk. "Why don't we make this competitive and do melee only?"

(G) "Yeah, and the person with the most zombie kills at the end wins!" The swordsman savant explained excitedly.

"Melee only huh…?" The sorcery genius mulled while casting a disinterested and fairly weak Bom Di Wind at the still approaching group of undead in front of her to clear them, sending them (and parts of them) flying. "…Ok, I'm up for that!" She decided with a grin.

(A)"Count me in too!" The Seyruun Princess exclaimed while finally jumping down from her own horse after having casted a Calming spell on all the horses to keep them from spooking. "I may not have weapons, but I can still use my fists!

(L) "That's right, you've got that spell that basically turns your fists into enchanted weapons right?" Lina asked. "Alright, so let's make enchanted weapons count, but if anyone uses any ranged attacks… even if it's on accident in self defense, the amount of undead that you killed with the attack is deducted from your score…"

(K) "Do my slicers count?" The ex-assassin inquired.

"Are you asking if they count as a '**ranged** attack' when you '**throw**' them…?" Lina asked wryly.

"Hah, ha… weak…" Katibree conceded with a laugh. "Alright I've got you." She added while charging her blades and cutting down a skeleton that was reaching for her.

(L) "Alright, so the largest bulk of our 'points' is really closing in now… so let's do this… 1…. 2……… 3…………………..GO!" The sorcery genius exclaimed while springing into action herself with her weapons drawn as Gourry, Katibree, and Amelia ran off in their respective directions on GO as well.

The mostly platinum haired warrior flashed forward with a wicked grin towards the closest cluster of undead, cutting down individual zombies as she went. As soon as she reached the center of the targeted group she began to whirl with her arms outstretched, cutting down creature after creature as her attacks picked up speed and zombie gore and parts began to fly in every direction. "Four, five, six-seven-eight…!" She counted as she cut a skeleton in two before following the attack through and angling it upwards to viciously behead a zombie clawing at her next to it.

(S) "They're really going to town out there…" Sylphiel mused after finishing her holy circle around the steeds to repel any nearby undead.

Nearby Lina and Gourry were having their own fun. The swordsman savant took a step toward 3 approaching undead and merely swung diagonally with his 2 handed sword, cutting through all of them effortlessly. "…….three!" He deducted triumphantly before turning and hacking down two more with a combo swing. "Uh…." He faltered with a hand on his chin while absently cutting down another zombie with a one handed swing of Gorunova as he thought.

(L) "Six!" Lina called helpfully before cutting down a few more rotting corpses of her own. _Three, four-five… _She counted to herself before charging her short sword and Twinkle with a modified fire based spell.

"Thanks Lina…!" The blonde warrior called back cheerfully before merely stopping to gawk at the sorceress.

What the master swordsman beheld was a thing of beauty as the redhead spun and whirled, chaining fluid attack after fluid attack together, the flames engulfing her blades leaving tracers in the darkening night.

"Whoa… Lina wasn't kidding when she said she's been training…" Gourry practically whispered as Amelia came up along side him.

"Where'd Miss Lina learn to fight like **that**?" The Seyruun princess asked in surprise as the flaming blades drew the rest of the remaining undead like a beacon.

"Well the style of fighting isn't as polished…" The swordsman savant mused while glancing over to a certain half drow that was inevitably gravitating in the direction with the promise of the most fighting. "But I definitely recognize the form..." He added with a little smirk.

Soon enough the half elf had made her way into the middle of the fray and began fighting side by side with the sorcery genius. Both sets of glowing blades flashing brilliantly in the darkness, whizzing by and in between one another seamlessly with little or no wasted actions between the two of them.

After watching the display a moment more in awe, Amelia spoke once more. "You think that Miss Katibree taught Miss Lina how to fight too Mr. Gourry?"

"Definitely, I can't believe how much she'd improved!" The blonde warrior replied with a grin.

"Well I supose we shouldn't be all that surprised I guess…" The princess said as she continued to watch the spectacle.

"Why do you say that?" Gourry asked, unable to take his eyes off of the display himself.

"If you really think about it, Miss Lina has been trained to some extent by 3 master swordsmen now." The Seyruun princess explained.

"Three master swordsman…?" The master swordsman asked.

"That's right, Miss Lina was trained by Miss Luna when she was younger, and you've given Miss Lina a lesson or two yourself… right Mr. Gourry?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, I guess I have…" the swordsman savant laughed.

"Then Miss Katibree giving her lessons would be master swordsman number three." The cerulean eyed princess deducted almost absently while continuing to watch the two girls finish off the last of the zombies. _When Miss Katibree goes high, Miss Lina goes low and vice versa, and one attack just flows right into another because of the spinning way they're fighting so they're constantly in motion…It's almost like…It's almost like they're dancing…_She mused as Lina swung high and Katibree swung low on the last remaining zombie, beheading it as well as cutting it's feet out from under it simultaneously, before both slid to a halt, holding their stances as the waltz of death was brought to an end.

As the headless, footless corpse hit the ground both girls looked at each other from their combat stances.

(K) "What did that last one count as…?" Katibree asked from her battle crouch.

"I don't know… I guess who could just count it as a half point…" Lina replied from her stance as a cool breeze rustled the manes of both girls as well as their cloak and cape.

Just then Sylphiel came riding up along side Amelia and Gourry. "That was one heck of a fight… and it ended so quickly…" She began before faltering as she watched the two's behavior from a distance. "Are… are they going to fight each other now…?" She asked unsurely.

(G) "I don't think they've decided yet." The swordsman savant replied lightly before finally noticing that Gorunova had been energized this entire time and turning it off.

(K) "That cannon fodder didn't last to long." The ex-assassin mused while sizing the younger girl up from her stance with a smirk.

"Yeah, didn't even break a sweat…" The redhead agreed with a grin of her own. "You wanna do the actual work out now that we're done with the warm up…?"

The mostly platinum haired warrior broke into an all out grin at this, but it soon faded at she merely sighed instead. _"Better not, it'll just get me all hot and bothered for nothing…"_She finally said while breaking her combat stance and standing while holding out Murakami.

Lina dropped her stance with a sigh of her own before rising Twinkle and tapping her against Murakami in a sign of cheers before the duo simultaneously uncharged and sheathed their weapons. _"It's not like we haven't had to put up with enough frustration as it is already…"_

(G) "I guess they decided not to spar after all…" Gourry said with a stretch.

(A) "Yeah…" Amelia agreed somewhat crestfallenly. "I was kind of looking forward to it too…"

"As much as Katibree loves to fight, I'm sure you'll get your chance!" The swordsman savant laughed. _But, I wonder why she hasn't accepted my challenge yet…?_

"I guess you're right Mr. Gourry!" The princess said. "I was just really looking forward to it because; if they look **that** amazing just fighting undead… it must **really** look like they're dancing when they fight **each** **other**…" She added somewhat dreamily.

(S) "It'd definitely be something worth seeing…" Sylphiel agreed quietly.

"Definitely!" Gourry agreed as the duo returned from their undead blender impression covered in various unmentionable substances…

(L) "Heya guys, what did ya get?" Lina asked cheerfully.

(G) "Uh… six I think…?"

(K) "Only six….?" Katibree asked in genuine surprise.

(A) "Yeah well I only got two, so Mr. Gourry did better than me at least…" Amelia said sheepishly. "I killed one, but when I tried to punch the second one… my fist got stuck in its chest and… I got really grossed out…"

The redhead couldn't help but laugh at this. "What about you Sylphiel… did you get any…?"

"Um… I have a score of negative one actually." The shrine maiden replied shyly.

(K) "How'd you manage that Nels Rada?" The ex-assassin asked while stifling a laugh.

"Well I…. put up a circle of protection around myself and the horses to ward off the undead… and one of the zombies got too close to the ward and incinerated itself…." The raven haired girl explained.

(L) "That's too priceless!" Lina giggled.

(G) "Well what about you two…?" Gourry asked. "You guys looked so amazing out there that everyone just sort of stopped and watched you…" He added with a slight blush.

(A)" Yeah, it was like you were dancing out there…" The princess said dreamily. _If not for all the zombie parts flying I almost would have said that it looked… romantic…but that's just silly… isn't it - -_

"World calling Amelia…" Lina called coyly while waving a hand in front of the day / night dreaming Seyruun princess's face. "Oh…! So yeah, what's the damage Miss Lina and Katibree…?" She finally asked while rubbing her neck and blushing in embarrassment at the fact that Lina had caught her spacing out about such strange thoughts.

(L) "Oh my score… I got 18 altogether…. Well… 18 ½ I guess…" The sorcery genius mused while rustling her crimson colored mane slightly. "What about you Kat?"

"26 ½ I believe, it got pretty frantic toward the end there though… zombies were dropping like flies…" The half drow replied before picking what could have been… a decaying ear out of her mostly platinum colored mane with a small grimace.

(L) "Yeah they were…." The redhead agreed with a grin. "54 undead nuisances in like 5 minutes… not too shabby!"

(K) "Well… it's not as if they were much competition…" The ex-assassin replied while studying some nearby remains of one of the slain creatures. "It wouldn't have been much different if they'd just stood in a neat little line and waited their turn to be slaughtered."

"That's true…" The sorceress agreed with a little yawn. "So you two want to go ahead and get the purification ritual stated?" She asked the shrine maiden duo.

"You've got it Miss Lina!" / "Ooooo-kay!" Amelia and Sylphiel replied simultaneously.

Author's Notes:

1. Yep... couldn't help myself. Anyone who knows me, understands the entire deal with the initials W.W.E.

2. The Dark Lord spoken of here is a monster made up by Martina herself known as The Monsterous Zelmogustar.


	59. Chapter 59

**The Kingdom of Zoanna**

(K) "So this is the 'Kingdom' of Zoanna, huh?" Katibree asked with a single mostly platinum colored eyebrow raised as the group rode into town with Lina in the lead as usual.

(L) "Yeah, I just want to know where Martina gets off decreeing a **city** is a Kingdom…" Lina replied as she took in her surroundings. "This 'Kingdom' is **barely** even bigger than **one** city in Zephilia…"

(A) "It is a bit misleading isn't it Miss Lina…?" Amelia agreed with a sweat-drop.

"A **bit** is quite the **understatement** Amelia." The redhead deadpanned.

(S) "Well… it seems like a nice enough place." Sylphiel said.

(G) "Yeah, I don't see what the big deal is… For all I care, they can call this place whatever they want as long as there's good food here." Gourry agreed.

"Whatever…" The sorcery genius conceded with a shrug before hopping down off of her horse and tying it up in front of a restaurant as the others followed suit. "Either way, I say we get some food in our stomachs before we pay 'Queen' Martina a visit and try and get some information."

(K) "I'm going to do some quick shopping before I join you all." The ex-assassin said while tying her horse up next to Lina's.

The sorceress gave her a questioning glance at this. _Something's definitely off here…_

"I'm low on ointment to cure my blades and I just want to run and grab some real quick." The half elf explained.

(G) "Oh, ok… hey Kat, can you pick me up some too?" Gourry called over his shoulder as he and the shrine maidens headed inside.

"Sure thing Gabriev." The mostly platinum haired warrior called back.

"_What's going on…?" _Lina whispered.

"_We're being tailed by someone, and whoever they are… they're pretty good and appear to be human…" _Katibree whispered back. _"I just want to take care of this quickly and quietly, I don't want the Princess have to see me just brutally kill another human being."_

"_I can understand that." _The redhead replied.

Just then Amelia poked her head out of the restaurant. "Miss Lina, are you going shopping too?" She called.

"Nah, I was just telling Kat what I need her to pick up for me too!" The sorcery genius called back. _"Just be careful ok…?" _She added to the half elf before jogging up the steps to the eatery.

"I'll be back in no time!" The larger girl called back before turning to leave.

(A) "You were whispering just now…" The Seyruun princess said as the two of them walked.

"Yeah I was…" Lina admitted somewhat uneasily.

"It must be because you need Miss Katibree to get something embarrassing for you huh?" The younger girl asked coyly.

The redhead merely rubbed the back of her neck while laughing at this. "Something like that, yeah."

_But why would Miss Katibree need to be careful buying pads…? _The Seyruun princess wondered to herself. _Well, I guess this is potentially a really dangerous city with that weird worship the Monstrous Zelmogustar law…_

Outside, Katibree walked a considerable distance from the restaurant before turning into an alley and flipping back the hood of her cloak, merely standing there with her arms folded. "It seems you're a little shy, so I figured that maybe you'd quit playing hide and seek if there were less people around." She called to the shadow.

"Very perceptive." A cultured, male tenor voice replied wryly as a black hooded figure stepped out from behind some crates. "And might you be Master Assassin Katibree Do'Urden?"

"So you're here for me specifically then." The mostly platinum haired warrior deducted. _He's got a sword, but he's a caster too, I can feel him from here… this is going to be __**fun**__._

_The description __**is**__ right, although the white cloak threw me off for quite a while… _The man mused to himself. "I'll have to ask you to come quietly with me or I'll have no choice but to take you by force."

"Well, I'm not the type to just go with strangers quietly… so you already have your answer in regards to that." The ex-assassin replied while tilting her head to the side slightly with a little smirk.

_Huh… she's cocky, she said that without even unfolding her arms to unsheathe her weapons…_The cloaked figure mused while sizing his target up. "Very well, but I have to warn you now… I **won't** be holding back." He replied while unsheathing his broadsword.

"You just said my favorite words…" Katibree replied while breaking into a dazzling smile. "**Come** on." She added with her lavender colored eyes flashing dangerously. _Double edged sword…Interesting._

"As you wish…!" The man exclaimed, leveling his sword and running forward.

The half drow side stepped the first attack in surprise before ducking another and unsheathing her blades to block a downward cleave. "Your allot faster than I expected!" She said before pushing off and after imaging behind him.

_Where'd she…?! _"Urgh…!" The man grunted as he spun around to block the attack before beginning to stagger backwards as he parried an assault of chaining and spinning attack that began to pick up in speed. _At this rate all I'll be able to do is defend…!_

Soon enough Katibree saw a good enough opening, she struck with a spinning slash across the cloaked figure's mid section, but instead of disemboweling him, she heard **scrick**! _That's not right… _She thought in bemusement as she broke off her flurry of attacks and back flipped away from the man to regroup. "Wearing armor under your cloak… that's just cheating!" She complained while examining Chiba for chips.

"Sorry to disappoint you." The man said while taking his right hand off of the broadsword's hilt. _I'm not going to get the better of her in a swordfight, that's blatantly obvious now… Oh well, I guess it can't be helped. The contractor did say dead or alive… _He thought as he held out a black gloved palm. "Firrrrrrre…"

_He's figures he's got me in an enclosed area, so there's no where to run… _The ex-assassin thought to herself while producing a dagger from underneath her cloak. _Good strategy if you're fighting someone who's not already used to fighting with casters. _

"**Baaaall**!" The man exclaimed as a massive ball of fire shot from his palm.

Katibree merely smiled and flung the dagger at the fireball with a barely noticeable flick of her wrist. _Fireballs detonate on impact, but not necessarily with what they were originally meant to impact __**with**__._

Back at the restaurant…

(A) "Miss Katibree sure has been gone quite a while now - -" **KRA**-_**KOOW**_!!

The entire gang minus Lina jumped up from their table as a massive explosion shook the area, blowing out the windows of the establishment.

(A) "Wh…what was **that**??" Amelia exclaimed.

(S) "Oh, **dear**!" Sylphiel exclaimed.

(G) "That was a **big** explosion!" Gourry said while peering out of a busted window, spying plumes of black smoke in the distance.

"That would be a Fireball. _Great… the shadow's a __**caster**__…" _Lina said with a hand over her face. "Mine as well go check it out…" She said resignedly before anyone else insisted they do it.

As the group came running up and pushed their way through a crowd of people, a black cloaked figure came staggering out of an alley on fire with Katibree following behind him while charging her blades. "Let's see how Chiba and Murakami work on that armor of yours **now**…" She said while twirling them casually.

(A) "What's going on?" Amelia asked. "….Miss Katibree…?!" She exclaimed in confusion as the cloaked figure ripped of his burning cloak with a growl.

(?) "Astral **Vine**!" He exclaimed angrily in response to the half elf's now glowing slicers, causing his own sword to glow red as well.

(L) "Astral - - _**Zelgadis**_??" Lina balked as the recognition of the spell and the voice of the user caused her to do a double take.

(A) "M-Mr, Zelgadis??" Amelia exclaimed in confusion. "What are you doing in Zoanna?"

(G) "Heya, Zel!" Gourry called happily. "Long time no see!"

(S) "Mr. Zelgadis?" Sylphiel asked in shock.

(Z) "I'll be with you guys in a moment." Zelgadis seethed while striding toward the half drow methodically.

(K) "Greywords…..?" The ex-assassin balked. "I – I don't look like you at all!" She finally said, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch.

"What are you talking about?" Zelgadis asked while talking a fighting stance with his broad sword resting over his outstretched forearm. "Don't start spouting nonsense now after your impressive display before… **prepare** yourself."

"….As you wish." The mostly platinum haired warrior agreed while placing one foot in front of the other.

"Flaaaaaaare - -!"

(L) "Hold it, **hold** it, **hold** _**it**_!" The redhead exclaimed while walking up to the heartless mystical swordsman as Gourry sunk to the ground with blue lines and plumes hovering over his head.

"Gourry Dear, what is the matter…?" Sylphiel asked worriedly.

"………….Everyone's gotten a chance to fight Katibree that wants to except for **me**….!" The swordsman savant complained.

(L) "Let me **guess**, that big contract you got from the anonymous source that Amelia was telling me about, was a hit on Kat." The sorcery genius deducted.

"That's correct." The chimera replied, having never taken his eyes off of the half elf.

"Well as you can see, she's kinda part of the team now…" The sorceress said with a sweat-drop. "Don't you think that kind of… oh I don't know…. **voids** the contract Zel…?" She asked sarcastically.

"A contract is a contract Lina, it's not my problem if it inconviences you or anyone else for that matter." Zelgadis replied while still locking eyes with Katibree.

_Yup…same old Zelgadis…_"Ok, how much is the contact paying you?" Lina asked.

"150 grand." The mystical swordsman replied.

"Alright, well is 150 grand enough to take both of us on at the same time…?" The redhead asked while folding her arms.

This got the chimera's attention and he lowered his weapon slightly, but remained silent.

"Because that's basically what's going to happen Zel…" The sorceress continued. "I'm going to sit here and watch this stupid fight, and then I'm going to get pissed off and beat your ass just out of **principle** for you going through with this hit to **begin** with once you realized the **entire** scope of the situation!"

"Alright, well then let me ask you this…" Zelgadis replied coolly. "Would you just give up a deal like this?"

"I would if I could have the money and just be done with it." The sorcery genius replied, not skipping a beat.

"………..You're willing to pay off the rest of my contract… just so that I don't kill her?" The heartless mystical swordsman asked slowly.

"Ok **course** not Zel, you know me better than that!" Lina laughed while patting him on the shoulder. "I'd be paying you to help **me** instead!"

"And you're telling me that you have 150,000 gold just… lying around and collecting dust." The chimera deadpanned.

"You **know** I horde gold Zel… and besides I just cashed in on a huge bounty a while back." The redhead replied while clasping her hands behind her head. "And besides **that**…" She added coyly. "Your old employer already paid you a quarter of that 150 grand just to **look** for Kat… And that means that if you take this offer you'll technically be making 25 more than if you somehow managed to follow the old contract through."

_I… didn't know she knew about that part… _Zelgadis thought to himself with a sweat-drop while sizing up Katibree once more. _And the newest addition to the team __**is**__ pretty cute…_ "Whatever." He finally said while lowering the sword the rest of the way and dispelling the Astral Vine enchantment as the half drow deenergized her blades as well. "I'll hear you out Lina, but I'll make no guarantees."

"That's the spirit Zel!" The sorcery genius exclaimed while slapping him on the back. "Come on, we can discus it over lunch!" She added with a wince while shaking her hand. _Almost forgot that Zel's skin has actual rocks embedded in it _(1.)_…that __**really**__ stung! _She thought sheepishly.

With this the ex-assassin sheathed her blades with a little smile. "It's good to finally have a chance to meet you Zelgadis Greywords." She said before flipping the hood of her cloak back up and turning to follow Lina, Gourry, and Sylphiel.

"Uh…." Was all that the chimera managed before he was nearly bowled over by Amelia.

"Welcome back to the **team** Mr. Zelgadis!" The Seyruun princess exclaimed while hugging his waist tightly.

"H-hey… I-I haven't agreed to anything yet…!" Zelgadis blurted while blushing slightly.

"Oh I know… I'm just happy to see you!"

"C-come on Amelia… it's really hard to walk like this…" The mystical swordsman complained halfheartedly.

"Mmmmmmmm!" Was the princess's only bubbly response.

From high above a clock tower, Xellos looked on with a smirk. "Exactly as I figured it would happen… Katibree being around two people with the shamanistic prowess of Amelia and now Zelgadis Greywords should do wonders for her newly developing powers… I may be out of a bit of gold, but Mazoku have no real use for it anyway." He continued wistfully. _Either way, it shall be interesting to see how things unfold now!_

Some time after the feeding frenzy had died down and Lina's explanation of the situation had come to an end…

(Z) "So basically everything you've just said boils down to the fact that… you've gone and gotten yourself caught up in some more stupid trouble again, and you need all the help you can get this time." Zelgadis mused with a hand on his stone embedded chin. "It'd probably be less of a hassle to just finish off my old contract and be done with it." He added while glancing over at Katibree who was giving him a 'bring it on' gesture.

(L) "Stop antagonizing Zel, Kat… And come on Zel, don't make it sound so bad!" The redhead replied cheerfully. "We'll only be fighting a potentially endless army of Mazoku mid carders after all…" She added wryly.

"Hum, well I still say that the situations you always manage to get yourself into are completely absurd… but then again…" The chimera mused as Amelia stifled an anticipatory squeal of excitement.

"I always have been the type who's always looking for a thrill." The heartless mystical swordsman said while tilting his chair back with a sigh. "Count me in Lina." He added with a smirk.

(L) "Good ta have ya onboard Zel!"

(A) "Welcome **back** Mr. Zelgadis!"

(G) "ZzzzzzzzzZZZZzzZzZZZzzZzzzzzzz………"

(K) "It's a pleasure to be working with you Greywords."

"Likewise Do'Urden." The mystical swordsman replied wryly.

(S) "It's so wonderful to have brother and sister finally reunited after all this time!" Sylphiel said happily.

(Z) "Brother and sister?" Zelgadis asked in confusion as Katibree merely covered her face with a hand and Lina and Amelia began to snicker quietly. "What are you **talking** about Sylphiel…?"

"Uhm well… it's just that you and Miss Katibree look so similar that we all have a theory that you two are brother and sister separated at birth…"

"Separated at **birth**?" The mystical swordsman balked. "Don't be **preposterous**, and besides we look nothing like."

(A)"That's what Miss Katibree said too…" Amelia giggled.

"What's that got to do with anything?" The chimera retorted defensively.

(L) "I think Amelia was just trying to point out the fact that you two have similar personalities as well." Lina explained with a grin. "You two also have the same interests; did ya know that Kat's an artist and musician too…?"

"….!" The mystical swordsman was at a loss for words as he looked first at the redhead and then at a certain mostly platinum haired warrior who was currently still covering her face. "….Regardless of what our interests are, it's just rash and stupid to assume something that off the wall out of the blue like that!"

(L) "He said 'blue'…" The sorcery genius giggled.

"Hey, now that was just - -"

(S) "So when are you two going to do your first brother sister duet?" The shrine maiden interjected.

"B-brother sister **duet** - -?!"

(G) "Yeah, and shouldn't you hug her or something considering you haven't seen her in so long…?" Gourry woke up enough to tease. "You two even wear the same style of cloak you're so alike."

"Now **look** -- !" / "Now see **here** --!" Zelgadis and Katibree both stood abruptly and slammed their hands on the table with twin stress-marks to blurt simultaneously before turning to look at each other with a sweat-drop as the rest of the party broke into uproarious laughter.

Both blue warriors merely sunk back into their chairs with a defeated sigh and slumped in their chair as the gang began to laugh all that much harder.

After the laughter had died down to just a few pained gasps at the vigorous exercise of abdominal muscles and stifled giggles subsided, the ex-assassin took the time to speak. "All joking and jovialities aside, the clock is still ticking." She said before taking a sip of wine. "What do you think our next move should be Red?"

Zelgadis did a double take at Katibree before turning his attention back to Lina and began to study her more closely at the use of the unfamiliar nickname. _I guess it __**does**__ suit her..._

"Well, from what professor Helmsly said back at the research lab… Martina and Zangulas probably don't pay attention to too terribly much that goes on in their…. 'Kingdom'…" She began while making little quotation marks around the word kingdom with two fingers on either hand. "So we can go and visit them and ask a question or two, but they probably aren't going to be of much help. Chances are we're going to have to split up into teams and just manually comb the city."

(S) "Oh, I can pair up with Gourry Dear!" Sylphiel piped up inevitably.

"And I'll partner with Mr. Zelgadis to tour - - err… search the city!" A certain shrine maiden counterpart chirped just as inevitably while blushing slightly.

"Well that leaves me with Kat… and that's fine and everything, but you guys are kind of jumping the gun here…" The redhead said with mock disinterest. "We're going to Zoanna castle **together** right?" The sorcery genius added while standing from the table and tossing a sizable amount of coin on it for the sizable meal they'd all just eaten.

(Z) _Lina actually paid for a meal without batting an eye…? That was definitely unexpected…_Zelgadis thought to himself while standing from the table as well while everyone got ready to leave. _She really hasn't changed much appearance wise… well I think her hair might be a little longer and a little brighter if that's even possible but… there's definitely something different about her that I can't quite put a finger on - -_

"Hey Zel!" Lina called, snapping Zelgadis out of his thoughts.

"What's up Red?" The chimera called back, testing out the new nickname with amusement.

"You're doubling up with Amelia on her horse ok?" The sorceress explained while hurriedly getting on her horse as her face began to turn a vivid red. _And he said it __**just**__ like Kat says it too! _She thought while sending a certain half drow a flustered look.

"Sure thing." The mystical swordsman replied while pulling himself up and behind a blushing Amelia. _What was that all about…? Is the nickname embarrassing for her or something…? Oh well, I guess I'll ask her later… either way it's still eating at me what's changed about her…_He continued as they rode in the direction of Zoanna castle. "Wait a second…! Lina, do you even know where Zoanna castle is?"

"Eh, heh… not a clue actually." Lina admitted with a laugh while rubbing the back of her neck as a good portion of her companions nearly face-faulted from their mounts. "I guess I just kinda figured we'd ride around and take in the sites until we happened upon it…"

(Z) _I guess she really __**hasn't**__ changed that much after all…_Zelgadis thought while clawing his way up to an upright position once more on the horse. _But there's still something nagging me… _"Hey Amelia?"

"Yes, Mr. Zelgadis…?" The Seyruun princess asked somewhat distractedly at the occasional feel of the chimera's chest pressing against her back as the horse trotted.

"What's the deal with Lina's new nickname? She's never gone by it before."

"Oh, 'Red'?" Amelia asked. "It's a nickname Miss Katibree gave Miss Lina awhile back."

"The assassin…?" Zelgadis asked in surprise while giving the half elf another once over. "She seems pretty serious to just go around frivolously assigning people nicknames like that…"

"Miss Katibree's actually not in that line of work anymore, and she's really nice once you get to know her." The princess explained. "She just really secretive and aloof so it takes her awhile to lighten up to and get used to people at first… sounds like someone else I know actually…" She added teasingly.

"Don't **start** Amelia… We are **not** related in anyway." The mystical swordsman growled causing the Seyruun princess to giggle.

"So are you any closer to finding your cure Mr. Zelgadis?" The cerulean eyed girl asked more solemnly once she'd gotten the giggles out of her system.

Zelgadis sighed quietly at this. "Not at all… I'm beginning to think I'll be stuck with this hideous body forever."

"I… I don't think it's hideous…" Amelia said quietly.

"Yeah, you've always said that…" The chimera replied gloomily. _I'm sick of everyone feeling like they need to pity me or lie to try and make me 'feel better'…_

_And every time I've said it… I've always meant it, but you never seem to understand that…_The princess thought to herself with a sad little smile on her face before actively leaning back and forcing the mystical swordsman to support her weight with his chest while still holding the reigns.

"A-Amelia… what are you doing…?" Zelgadis asked while flushing slightly.

"I got tired of sitting up straight." Amelia replied simply.

"Uh…. If you say so…" The chimera replied unsurely, his blush deepening all the more as he felt Amelia's back settle all the more against his chest as the princess sighed in contentment.

(S) "Gourry Dear…?" Sylphiel asked tentatively while riding with her arms around the swordsman savant's waist as the group made their way through the strange city.

"Yeah Sylphiel?" Gourry asked lightly.

"Where… where do you see yourself in 5 years…?"

As Gourry pondered that question as they passed by two people greeting each other. "Hail Zelmogustar." The man said pleasantly while holding out a Zelmogustar emblem.

"Hail The Monstrous Zelmogustar!" The woman replied cheerfully while touching her Zelmogustar emblem to his in greeting.

(G) "I don't know, fighting bad guys with Lina I guess." The blonde swordsman finally answered cheerfully.

"Have you ever thought that sometime down the way… you may meet someone else and want to… maybe travel with them instead…?" The shrine maiden tried once more.

Gourry put a hand on his chin at this. "Well… I really wouldn't see a reason why we couldn't all just travel together then… I mean, that's what we're all doing right now right?" He deducted.

"Yeah… I guess it is…" The raven haired girl conceded crestfallenly.

(L) _Nice try Syl…_Lina thought to herself while glancing back at first, Gourry and Sylphiel, then Amelia and Zelgadis, and then finally at Katibree on her own separate horse. _"It's not __**fair**__…" _She turned back around and whispered with crocodile tears in her ruby colored eyes. _The first chance I get I'm going to 'accidentally' __**Fireball**__ one of these __**stupid**__ horses…Look how happy they look… I wanna feel happy too ya know? _She continued to brood to herself before a mansion suddenly caught her eye. "I think we've found our 'castle' folks." She said as everyone brought their mounts to a halt.

(K) "Well, at least it's more impressive than their supposed 'Kingdom'." Katibree said while making a mental note of the general layout of the place out of force of habit.

"That's for sure…" The redhead agreed while scratching the back of her head in thought. "Oh well, lets go see if her and his 'highness' are home." She said before spurring her horse forward and up the cobble stoned path.

As soon as they found a place to tie up their horses, the sorcery genius made a b-line for the front door of the mansion 'forgetting' to secure her horse as well along with the others.

Just as she was about to shout something, Katibree came jogging up. "Hold up Red." She called.

"What's up Kat…?" Lina inquired.

"Well like I've said in the past, your voice is pretty distinctive…" The ex-assassin explained with a smirk. "Just based on what you did to Zoanna the last time you visited, she may not answer the door at **all** if she hears you shouting out here."

"Oh yeah, that's a good point!" The redhead said with a laugh as Zelgadis and the others made their way up to the entrance of the mansion as well.

(Z) "Hey Lina, you forgot to tie up your horse so I went ahead and got it for you."

"Oh had I, thanks Zel!" The sorcery genius replied in mock gratefulness with a stress-mark before turning while gritting her teeth and knocking on the door loudly.

"Yeah, don't mention it." _That thank you almost sounded sarcastic for some reason…it's probably just me just being paranoid as usual…_

(M) "Coming…!" Martina shouted after a long moment accompanied with the sound of heeled shoes clacking down the stairs. Soon enough the door cracked open and there stood the green haired vixen.

(L) "Heya Martina, long time no see!" Lina exclaimed.

The princess of Zoanna turned blue in the face at this and promptly slammed the door shut, the sound of a latch clicking was heard directly afterwards.

"She slammed the door in my face and locked me out….!" The redhead exclaimed indignantly.

(Z) "Well what'd you expect after you totaled her Kingdom the way you did all those years ago?' Zelgadis asked.

"That's besides the point! This is no way to treat an old comrade!" The sorcery genius shouted for the Zoanna queen's benefit.

(A) 'Uhm, how exactly is something like that besides the point…?" Amelia asked with a sweat-drop.

"Because it was in the past! _"Kat, this door is protected against the unlock spell and the lock's really complicated… go ahead and do the honors."_

"No problem." The ex-assassin said with a nod before pulling a small lock pick out from under her tongue and getting to work.

(M) "It won't be in the past if you do it again!" Martina shouted from behind the door. "Go away Lina Inverse, you're a plague to humanity!"

"A plague to humanity - - Look who's talking ya curse giving, amazingly obnoxious, skanky dressing, holier than thou wanna be queen**of**_**darkness**_!" Lina retorted through the door while gesturing angrily.

"How **dare** you talk to the Queen of New Zoanna like _**that**_!"

"_**Who's**_ a Queen?!"

(Z) "Oh, this is real **mature**." The mystical swordsman said while turning his back to the charade with his arms folded as the two bickered back and forth.

(K) "This probably isn't the best way to get information out of her Red." Katibree agreed while she worked on the lock.

"Oh **trust** me, once this door is open I'm gonna _**beat**_ it outta her…!"

"Just keep your cool Red, if you end up losing it and blasting the door open with a Fireball, this'll be a complete waste of time." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied quietly. "Relax, I've almost got it unlocked."

The fiery redhead merely took a deep breath and rustled her mane in agitation before letting it out slowly. "K…I'm good." She said with a sigh.

"Good." The half drow replied with a little smirk. _Such a hothead…if she hadn't gotten laid just recently… I have a feeling this entire mansion would be in flames right about now._

(Z) _Well… it's blatantly obvious that she's a redhead… but Lina got really flustered when I called her by her new nickname… Did Katibree name her 'Red' because of her temper then…?I mean she totally just talked Lina down out of a frenzy just now without even having to physically restrain her, and I've __**never**__ seen that done by anyone before… _Zelgadis mused to himself while glancing over his shoulder at the exchange with his back still turned to the group. _Hey, maybe that's what different about her now… it's not by much, but she is more laid back now, more mellow I guess I'd describe it… I wonder why…?_

(S) "Is this… really ethical…?" Sylphiel asked while watching the half elf deftly pick the lock with a sweat-drop.

(A) "I guess even Miss Katibree isn't brave enough to tell Miss Lina no…" The Seyruun princess said quietly with a shrug and a sweat-drop of her own.

Just then the door was unlocked with a click!, and the moment Katibree moved from in front of it, Lina yanked it open.

(M) "H-how'd you - -!" Martina balked in horror.

(Za) "Did I just hear the door Dear?" Zangulas called from somewhere up stairs.

(L) "Heya Zangulas!" Lina called switching from seething to cheerful at the drop of a hat in that bi-polar way she always did. "Thanks for inviting us in!"

(Za) "Hey that sounds like Lina, is Gourry here?"

_That figures… _Yep he's standing right here too!" The redhead replied.

(G) "Hey Zangulas, you up for a match??" Gourry called.

"I thought you'd never ask! Come in, come in and make yourselves at home!" The black haired swordsman said while vaulting all the way from the railing at the top of the stairs to the floors with a smirk.

(L) "Thanks… and I see you're still wearing that stupid hat after all these years…" The sorcery genius teased.

"Hey, this hat **never** goes out of style." Zangulas replied while fastening his sword to his belt.

"Zangulas, that hat was never in style to **begin** with." Lina deadpanned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" The black haired master swordsman laughed. "Come on Gourry, we've got some business to take care of."

"Oh yeah... hey, you coming Zel?" The swordsman savant asked.

"Wasn't the entire purpose of us coming here for infor - - " The chimera began for cutting himself off with a sigh. _I guess it doesn't require this many people to talk to Martina… we probably won't get any useful info out of her anyway as it is… _"Sure, why not." _I need to blow off some steam after that horse ride anyway…Amelia's getting pretty bold as she gets older…_

(G) "How about you Kat…?" The blonde warrior asked hopefully.

(Z) "From what I've seen today, it'd be better to have Katibree stay behind as damage control." Zelgadis said almost teasingly. "She seems to have some kind of calming affect on Lina." He added while watching the redhead begin to blush slightly with amusement.

(K) "Yeah, I think the blue ears have some sort of mystical calming affect…" The mostly platinum haired warrior joked back, giving the hoop earring in her left ear a little flick. "Yours just don't work because they aren't as pointy as mine."

"I guess not!" Zelgadis replied with a genuine laugh.

(A) _Mr. Zelgadis is actually laughing! _Amelia thought to herself happily. _I think this new adventure may be exactly what he needs..._

(L) "Would ya just leave already?!" Lina exclaimed while trying her best to keep her embarrassment in check.

(K) "Go ahead guys, it's fine… I'll just rumble with you later or something." Katibree said good-naturedly.

(G) "But she always says that…" Gourry practically whined as the boys turned to leave.

(Za) "Is she pretty good then?"

(G) "Amazing."

(Z) "Oh yeah." _If I'd been a normal human being while I was fighting her back in that alley, I wouldn't be here right now most likely… This monstrous body saves me once again. _The chimera thought to himself wryly.

With that the guys went out to play and the girls stayed behind to chat.

Authors Notes:

(1.) For those of you that don't already know, Zelgadis was tricked by Rezo The Red priest and turned into a chimera. He's now one third human, one third demon, and one third rock golem. We learn this in the first season of Slayers.


	60. Chapter 60

Protégée

Protégée

(L) "It's been a long time Martina." Lina said while folding her arms with a smirk. _There's not even a servant or maid in sight, it figures they'd use all their money on a place like this and not think to put some aside for some type of personnel… it must really __**suck**__ to keep this place clean…_

"That's **Queen** Martina to you… you overbearing commoner!" The green haired vixen said, still obviously spoiling for a fight.

"You can't tell me you actually believe that…" The sorcery genius said with a little flip of her hair. "Anyone who knows who I am, knows I'm **anything** but common."

_The nerve! _Martina fumed. "The only thing extraordinary about you is the fact that even after all these **years** … you're still as flat as a washboard!" She finished coyly with a hand to the side of her mouth as Sylphiel and Amelia visibly cringed and began to back away. "So what do you say to **that**, Lina **Inverse**?!" She added triumphantly before beginning to laugh manically.

"Yeah, they definitely aren't the biggest knockers in the world… but I work with what I have Ok…" The redhead replied with a wistful little smile and shrug, causing the green haired vixen's laughing to cut off abruptly as the shrine maiden duo as well as her collective jaws hit the floor and Katibree merely grinned.

(M) _But… but…I was ready for the Fireball…I need the pain just to know I really got under her skin… she __**always**__ reacts violently, and the more I got to her, the more it hurt…what…what…_Martina stammered to herself in disbelief.

(S) "……..Miss Lina…" Sylphiel began unsurely. "Are you Ok…?"

"I feel fine, why do ya ask Sylphiel?" The sorceress turned to answer with a carefree grin. _Maybe I should just roast her on principle so they'll get over it already…_

(A) _Now I think I understand what's different about Miss Lina… She really has completely gotten over her sensitivity about the size of her breasts…_Amelia finally realized in disbelief. _I wonder how she got over that complex all of the sudden…Mr. Gourry constantly gave her grief about it and so does anyone else she's ever met for the most part…_

(M) "L-Lina, what… what **happened** to you…?" The green haired vixen asked in boarder line distress.

"Hum….?" Lina asked while rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't know… I guess I just kind of grew up or something… mentally at least!" She added with a laugh. "Either way it was a good effort Martina…. Fireball."

"Aeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee!" Martina shrieked, suddenly engulfed in flames before dropping to the ground in a smoking heap. "Now that's… more like…. It…" She managed with crocodile tears in her eyes.

(K) _It's almost like the people around Lina __**thrive**__ on her abuse…_Katibree thought to herself with a sweat-drop.

"So moving on to other things…" The redhead began with a small sweat-drop of her own. "I actually came here today to ask you a couple of questions."

"Questions…?" Martina asked while picking herself up from the floor and brushing off the soot she was now covered in.

"That's right, do you know of any mysterious labs that have sprung up in the city with people researching shady stuff within the past few months…?"

"Labs doing shady research…" The green haired vixen mused.

"Yeah have you noticed anything strange going on?" The sorcery genius reiterated.

"………I have absolutely no idea!" Martina finally replied triumphantly to face-faults all around.

(L) "I knew this was just gonna be a big waste of time…" Lina groaned haggardly.

(A) "You really have no idea what's going on in your kingdom Miss Martina…?" Amelia asked in disbelief.

"Why should I? All will be well as long as I pray to my Monstrous Zelmogustar!" The green haired vixen proclaimed with a flair of her cape as she pointed at a large Zelmogustar headpiece mounted on the wall.

Katibree merely rolled her lavender colored eyes at this as she picked herself off the floor. "I think we're about done here Lina."

"Couldn't agree with you more Kat." The redhead replied as she began heading to the door.

(M) "Oh and by the way, I've met princess Amelia before, but who are the other two?" Martina inquired.

"Oh, this here is Sylphiel and she's Katibree." The sorceress turned back to explain.

"Hum… Miss Katibree… I see that you have blue skin… are you by chance - -?" Martina faltered as the half drow merely growled and walked out the door in mid sentence. "How terribly rude… are you the one who taught her manners Lina Inverse…?" _I was just going to ask what type of elf she is because I've never heard of a race of elves with blue skin before…_

"Nope, Kat's normally pretty cordial actually… she just gets that allot and it's a pretty sore spot with her." The sorcery genius explained with a giggle. "Anyway we've gotta run Martina, maybe we'll see you around!" She added as the shrine maiden duo waved good bye as well.

"Feel free to stop by and visit whenever you want as long as you promise not to destroy my Kingdom again Lina!" The green haired vixen called.

"I'll think about it Martina!" Lina called just before the door shut.

(S) "So where did the guys go to spar do you think…?" Sylphiel asked.

(K) "Based on what I've seen of the layout, the training grounds are most likely out back." The ex-assassin said as the girls made their way back to the horses.

(A) "Looks like it's time to tell them that playtime's over." Amelia said cheerfully as Lina walked up to her horse and made a cut-throat gesture at it, moving her thumb across her neck and causing the mount to sweat-drop. _"You've just officially been designated emergency rations buddy!" _She hissed to it before saddling up on her now trembling mount.

Once they'd made their way to where the guys were training on several large boulders in and around a stream, jumping from rock to rock and exchanging attacks with one another, the shrine maidens gasped and blushed while they watched as all 3 warriors were currently training with their shirts off.

(A)"Mr. Zelgadis…" Amelia breathed with a hand over her mouth.

(S) "Oh… Gourry Dear…!" Sylphiel gasped with her hands pressed to either side of her face as the sweat on the swordsmen glistened in the sunlight while they fought. The sound of metal striking metal ringing out and carrying clearly around the training grounds area.

(L) "Oh brother…" Lina said while looking back at the two with a roll of her ruby colored eyes before turning her attention back to the fight.

(K) "Hey, that Zangulas is pretty good." Katibree said approvingly as she rode up along side Lina.

"Yeah he's obnoxious, but he's definitely a swordsman to be reckoned with." The redhead admitted quietly. "Anyway… playtimes **over** boys! Outta the **pool**!" She added loudly.

(G) "**Already**??" Gourry stopped fighting to balk.

(Za) "You should know by now never to let your guard down around me Gourry!" Zangulas exclaimed while jump kicking the swordsman savant.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" The swordsman savant shouted as he was projected from the boulder he was just standing on and into the river with a SPLASH!

(Z) "Alright, alright…" Zelgadis conceded while hopping down off his own boulder and kneeling at the edge of the stream to slash some water on his face. After realizing that this was Katibree's first time seeing him without a shirt on, he hurriedly got dressed. _At least she didn't look too terribly disgusted… _He brooded to himself self-consciously as Zangulas laughed at a soaking wet Gourry sputtering and crawling out of the stream in the background.

After the gang and said their goodbyes to Zangulas and made their way off of the grounds and back to the road, they all stopped to collaborate.

(L) "Alright, so like we already established earlier… We'll be splitting up into groups of two to search the city for clues." Lina explained while pointing to the appointed duos as she spoke. "So Gourry and Sylphiel, I want you two to do me a favor and check the east side for anything shady looking."

(G) "Roger that!" Gourry replied cheerfully.

(S) "I understand." Sylphiel answered with a dutiful nod.

"Amelia and Zel, I need you two to scout the west side for me."

(A) "You can count on us Miss Lina!" Amelia replied as Zelgadis nodded once in acknowledgment with a grunt.

"And that leaves Kat and I to check the northern sector…" The redhead mused while scratching the back of her head in thought. _We entered from the south so…_ "I guess it'd be best to just meet back in the heart of the city in 5 hours and go over what we've found and then figure out where to go from there afterwards."

(Z) "That sounds like a plan Lina." Zelgadis said with a chin on his hand. "5 hours should be a sufficient amount of time to get at least **some** sleuthing done… Let's go Amelia."

"Right, Mr. Zelgadis!" The princess chirped before spurring her horse forward. "See you guys in five!"

(S) "We should get going too Gourry Dear." The raven haired girl prodded.

"Oh, yeah right… But just one thing Sylphiel…?" The swordsman savant asked as he snapped the reigns signaling the mount to begin trotting.

"What's that Gourry Dear?"

"Which way is East again…?"

The shrine maiden merely sweat-dropped with a little smile and pointed east at this.

(L) "And then there were two…" The sorcery genius said with a content little sigh.

"Indeed…" The mostly platinum haired warrior agreed with a chuckle as the duo turned their steeds north. "So did you plan this or what?" She added in amusement.

"I didn't have to honestly." Lina admitted with a one armed stretch, keeping one hand on the reigns. "I just suggested that the most logical thing to do would be to split up in order to cover more ground at once, and everything else fell into place on it's own after that."

"But you knew what the inevitable outcome of that suggestion would be." The ex-assassin deducted.

"Yep." The redhead replied while scrutinizing a rundown looking shop.

"All I can say is I'm glad that I'm on your side…" The half elf replied as she scanned the surrounding area for anything suspicious as they rode. "Manipulating people is almost as easy as breathing for you."

"You really think so?" The sorceress turned her attention back to the older girl to ask.

"I really do." Katibree said with a smirk and a nod.

"I guess I've heard similar things to that from people before…" Lina said almost absently while gazing up at the sky. "Do you think that's a bad thing…?" She added while looking at the half drow once more.

The ex-assassin merely shrugged at this. "Well it's definitely a powerful gift in itself, and with someone with your charisma it'd only be natural for you to begin to use it without really realizing it… but the ability itself is pretty much neutral, it's how you decide to use it that makes the difference."

"How I decide to use it…" The redhead repeated to herself before something caught her attention. "This place has a public library…? This I **have** to see." She added while hopping down off of her mount and heading up the steps.

"Uhm… Red, aren't you even going to secure your horse…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior called as she tied up her own mount.

"Nope!" Was the younger girl's only reply.

"…Have it your way." The half elf conceded while placing her arms behind her head and following behind the sorceress while taking in the structure of the building leisurely.

"Wow, this place actually has a pretty decent selection of books…" The sorceress said approvingly after making it inside and giving the place a quick once over.

"Yeah, it's not too bad from what I can tell." The older girl agreed before making her way towards the back of the library.

"Hey, where ya headed?" Lina called.

"I just want to check and see what the 'lawless city' has to offer real quick; don't worry, I know what section you'll end up in." The half elf replied with a wink.

_Am I really that predicable…? _The redhead wondered to herself with a little wave before turning to search for a section that hopefully had an updated volume of the newly discovered spell concept records.

A few minutes later the sorcery genius found what she was looking for. _Know it… know it…made it…heard of it, not too useful…know it…know it…__**oh**__, that's one I don't know! _She thought to herself as she flipped through the book.

Just then, Katibree came walking up from around the bookcase. "Hey Red, take a look at what I found…"

"Hum, what's that?" Lina asked while closing the book that she'd been skimming through and sliding it back into it's slot in on the shelf.

"Just take a look." The half elf reiterated while handing the sorceress the book with a grin.

"The…Karma…sutra…?" the redhead read slowly. "The cover's blank other than the title… what's so special about it?" She asked while opening the book before turning a brilliant shade of red and slamming it closed. _"__**Kat**__ this practically __**pornography**__!" _The younger girl hissed in embarrassment.

"I'd like to think of it more as… educational material for research purposes." The half elf said with a careless little shrug.

"Educational material my - - !"

(?) "Uhm… excuse me…?" A girl's voice called from behind her.

"Eh?" The sorcery genius turned to ask before hurriedly hiding Katibree's chosen 'educational material' behind her back. "…What's up?"

(?) "Well, I was wondering if by any chance…you could be… the great and powerful sorcery genius Lina Inverse…?" The redheaded girl of about 16 or 17 and just about the same height asked hopefully while smoothing out her apprentice sorceress robes somewhat self-consciously.

Lina leaned in closer to get a better look at her at this. "You forgot to put most beautiful in the title, but yeah, that's me." She replied while studying the younger redhead with interest. "And just who might you be?"

"Oh, my name is Lynn Elizabeth Kinnis… but, my friends call me Linni-kinns for short…" The sorceress in training replied while rubbing the back of her neck with a grin. "It's really an honor to meet you, I've been following your work since I read about that ancient statue of you and some kid with the sword of light found on that abandoned island that elves used to live on… At least I think it was you… but the statue was hella old… and speaking of elves… who's that?" She asked while peering around Lina at Katibree.

(L) _I think I remember something like that, but there's so many holes in my memory… _Lina mused to herself.

"The name's Katibree, pleased to meet you." The ex-assassin replied while stepping forward to shake her hand.

"Good to meet you too! So what are you…? Lina's bodyguard or something?" Linni-kinns asked.

"Well, it's not often that someone that's as powerful as Red is needs protection, I'd say I'm closer to the position of backup." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied with a smirk.

(Ly) "Back up huh…?" The younger redhead mused thoughtfully.

(L) "Yeah well, close enough." The sorceress agreed. "And for the record, I'm 19 not… over 1,000 years old or whatever the rumor is that's going around these days… Anyway, my guess is you wanted some pointers right…?" She added while doing her best to nonchalantly slide Katibree's latest point of interest into an available spot on the shelf while drawing the least amount of attention.

Lynn squealed happily at this. "Ooooh would you really do that for me??"

"Yeah no problem - -"

"Oh what were you reading…?" She asked excitedly while reaching for the book that the sorcery genius had just put away.

"Uhm…it ah… was just something Kat… brought over for me to check…out, you wouldn't be interested**really**." The older redhead explained hurriedly as a fresh blush began to color her cheeks.

"I doubt that, if it caught the eye of a sorceress of your standing for even a second, it's definitely at least worth taking a look at." The sorceress in training deducted, grabbing the book off the shelf and opening it, not even bothering to look at the cover. "So what's it all about - -" Was all she managed before her face followed suit with Lina's.

After a long minute of silence Linni-kinns lifted a single red eyebrow before looking up from the 'educational material', moving her yellow eyes back and forth from Katibree to Lina slowly.

"So… your 'back up' brought you this book to look at…?" The sorceress in training finally asked carefully.

"T-that is… well ahm…" Lina stammered.

"Just what type of 'back up' is Katibree providing you with exactly Miss Inverse…?" Lynn persisted coyly with her eyelids lowered.

"Ah, hah haaah…" The older redhead laughed while rubbing the back of her neck nervously while avoiding eye contact at all costs, apparently at a lost for words at the moment.

"Huuuum…?" The sorceress in training inquired of the half elf this time.

"Oh no, this is **all** Lina." The ex-assassin laughed while holding out her hands in a warding gesture.

"Come on you can tell me… it's the forbidden love isn't it??" Linni-kinns cooed while leaning toward Lina with her hands clasped together and hearts in her eyes.

"I… I guess you could call it that…" The sorcery genius finally admitted quietly. "Just…keep it down Ok, we're kinda on the down low right now."

"You're keeping it a **secret**?" Lynn asked in disbelief. "Gods, if I had a girlfriend that looked like her…" She began before suddenly jumping on top of a nearby bench and spinning around. "I'd shout it from the rooftops!" She exclaimed with a grin.

(L) _"Uh Linni… this __**is**__ a library…"_ Lina whispered with a hand to her mouth.

"I'd be all like, lookie here at my girlfriend; isn't she hot?' The sorceress continued with a flip of her hair. "Don't we make a cute couple? Aren't you jea-lous? Don't you wish you were me…?" She said while gesturing flamboyantly.

Katibree merely smiled and covered her face while shaking her head at this while a certain sorcery genius followed suit while sweat-dropping. "What part of down low did she not understand…?" The redhead groaned.

Just then a librarian came around the corner and shooshed the rambunctious girl.

Lynn hopped down from the table while pouting before pulling down an eyelid and sticking out her tongue as the older woman walked away. _"Humph, just bitter cause your youth's already over ya dried out old goat…"_ She huffed under her breath.

(L) "Anyway, I'd love to be able to do that and all… but that's allot easier said than done." The sorcery genius explained with a sigh. "It's allot more complicated than that."

"How so…?" The sorceress in training inquired. "I mean if you two have already fallen for each other, what else is there?"

"Well… there's this guy…" Lina began while rubbing her temples.

"And you can't make up your mind?" Linni-kinns interjected. "Well then that's easy, you take the guy and I'll take Katibree off your hands! What do ya say Katibree, feel like tradin' your old model in for a shiny new one - -" Whatever else the younger redhead had to say was lost to a trademark Inverse headlock as a certain mostly platinum haired warrior looked on while laughing quietly.

"Oh now you're **really** pushing it, my **girlfriend** is **not** up for grabs and I'm **not** up for **trade**!" The sorceress said with a single fang showing while giving the younger girl a nuggie. "I never said that I couldn't make up my **mind**, what I was trying to say is I'm not sure how to tell him we're **together**! **Together** as in I made up my mind as to who I wanted to be with a long time ago!"

"**Ouch**, ow, ow, ow, ow… I get it, I get it, I**get**_**it**_!" Lynn laughed while struggling to get out of the hold. "I was just kidding anyway!"

"Yeah, I'll bet!" Lina said before releasing the hold and folding her arms with a grin.

Just then, the same librarian came around the corner and shooshed once again.

(K) "Our apologies." The half elf said as either redhead shot the woman a dirty look.

(L) "Either way, you having the hots for Kat here aside… you're a practicing mage right?"

"That's right!"

"But, I haven't seen an academy here… are you just passing through?"

"No, I study here… it's not actually an academy though, it's closer to a regular school." Lynn explained. "The reason I decided to study here is because there's less restrictions on what is taught, they teach spells like unlock and several others that would normally be illegal to teach…" She continued before trailing off and looking down at the book she was still holding. "…I'll be right back Ok? Don't move!" She added suddenly before running off.

"Where's she going all the sudden?"

"Who knows, she's quite the character though isn't she?" Katibree asked wryly.

"You can say that again." The redhead agreed while scratching the back of her head in bemusement.

Moments later the younger redhead came back and handed Lina a different book.

"What's this?" The sorcery genius asked.

"The alternate version… it'd probably be more relevant…" Linni-kinns explained with a knowing little smile.

"The alternate version…?" Lina repeated while opening the book as the half drow looked over her shoulder.

"I'm starting to like this town more and more." The half elf chuckled as the sorceress closed the book with a deep sigh.

"And why would a kid like you know exactly where to look in order to find something like this…?"

"Hey, I'm not much younger than you are, and besides… I've always thought that innocent maidens like myself should have **some** type of education before giving of themselves to that special person anyway." Lynn explained matter of factly.

"**Who's** innocent?" The sorcery genius retorted while gesturing at her with the book.

"Eh heh, y-you can be innocent and informed at the same time…!" The younger redhead argued in embarrassment.

Lina merely looked at her doubtfully at this.

"You can!" Linni-kinns laughed.

"…If you say so…" The sorcery genius finally said while shaking her head with a shrug and a little smile. "Anyway Kat and I are kinda on a time constraint here, so if you want some pointers it's gotta be quick." She explained while putting the book away which was immediately retrieved from the shelf by a certain ex-assassin afterwards. "So what are you currently studying?" She asked after rolling her ruby colored eyes at the half elf's blatant display of interest in the 'alternate educational materials' they'd just been brought.

"Um, well I'm studying fire magic right now… I'm good with Flare arrows and the like, but when I try and cast a Fireball… it's like it just shoots straight out in a big flame from my hands, I mean it's supposed to be a ball you can throw right?"

"Well technically yes, but there are different versions of the spell that you can mix and match." The sorceress explained. "It sounds like you're just using the default Fireball spell like you'd cast a Flare arrow or Elmekia lance spell. Those spells already have a set form built into the chant, but with a more complex spell like Fireball you need to visualize the form you want the spell to take in your mind before you fire it off." _Which is something I still haven't been able to do with the Ra Tilt after all these years… there's got to be something that I'm still missing there…I can't get the spell to even spark, let alone fire…_She added to herself silently with a rustle of her crimson colored mane.

"Ok, I think I get it…" The sorceress in training said while closing her eyes and cupping her hands in front of her.

Katibree looked up from her book with some concern as she felt the magical energy growing within the younger redhead. Just then, Lina produced a slipper and whacked Lynn across the back of the head with it. "Just what did you think you were doing just now…?" She asked with lowered eyelids.

"Visualizing the shape of the spell like you told me too…?" Linni-kinns replied while holding the back of her head with crocodile tears in her yellow orbs. _Where the heck'd that slipper come from…?_

"In the middle of the library." The sorcery genius deadpanned.

"Sorry… I got a little over excited I guess, that happens sometimes…" The sorceress in training explained sheepishly.

"I guess I have that problem myself sometimes too…" Lina admitted while rubbing the back of her neck. "Anyway, we really should get going Linni - - "

"Awwww, but you only showed me one thing and I haven't even had the chance to test it out yet!" The younger redhead complained. "Are you guys still going to be in town at least? You could give me pointers while you two are walking around doing what you need to do or something!"

"Well yeah, at least for a couple more hours, but it's the middle of the day… shouldn't you be in school anyway Linni?"

"…Well, yeah…" The sorceress in training finally admitted crestfallenly.

The sorceress lifted a single crimson eyebrow at this.

"But… I'm already way ahead of everyone in my class and the teacher just keeps lecturing about stuff that I've already mastered over and over again for the people that haven't gotten it yet and it's really boring…" Lynn tried to explain in frustration. "That's the whole reason I'm here to begin with, the rest of the class hasn't even gotten to the basics of casting a Fireball yet… they're still on Flare bit and Flare arrow, so I came here to try and teach myself."

_I can definitely sympathize with her there, going through the academy for me was mostly like just going through the motions just to get the official credentials… I usually knew 75 to 80 percent of what the professors were teaching already if not more… _The sorcery genius thought to herself with a little smile. "I can understand that and all Lynn, but what kind of role model would I be if I knowingly kept a bright and up and coming mage such as yourself out of school?" She finally asked after a moment of thought.

The sorceress in training was silent for a good moment at this while thinking of her counter argument.

(L) _"You can practically hear the gears turning in her head." _Lina whispered to Katibree with a grin.

"_You're just cruel sometimes." _The mostly platinum haired warrior laughed.

(Ly) "Well, the way I see it…" Linni-kinns finally piped up. "What sense does it make to go to school to be taught by stock mages with general knowledge, when I have the opportunity to learn from an up and coming great **sage** that already knows more than all of them combined ever **will**? Besides after you give me a few pointers I'll go straight back to school, I **promise**!" She added hopefully.

"Hum… I don't know…" The older redhead mused in mock apprehension.

"Pleeeeeeaaase…?" The younger redhead pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Well… what do you think Kat?" The sorceress asked.

"…I don't see why there'd be a problem." Katibree replied with a shrug.

"**Woohooooo**!" Lynn cheered while jumping up and down before that same librarian came around the corner and shooshed her once more. "Oh shove it where the sun don't shine ya wrinkled ol'- - Mmmmphfpmmm…!" She finished as Katibree restrained her and covered her mouth with a black gloved hand.

"We're terribly sorry about that." The half drow said with a small bow as Lina resisted the urge to flip the woman the bird with a roll of her ruby colored eyes.

"Let's just get outta here… time to lose the porn Kat." The sorceress said with a sigh.

"It's not porn!" The ex-assassin laughed. "It's more like an instruction booklet actually…"

"… I… we…look there's no need to have instructions on that…" The sorcery genius finally managed while glancing over at a very interested Linni-kinns with a blush. "J-just put it away Ok…?"

"Ok…" The mostly platinum haired warrior began while flipping through the book until she found what she was looking for. "…Tell me you don't want to try **that**." She added while holding the book up so that the older redhead could see it.

"Oh my… Oh my Gods, is that even possible- - Linni… can we…get a little privacy here?" The sorcery genius asked the younger girl currently standing on her tippy toes and peering over her shoulder.

"Heh heh, sorry about that…" Linni-kinns said while backing up sheepishly.

"I say we sign it out, what could it hurt?"

"Fine… if you feel so strongly about it then go ahead, but I'm not gonna go sign it out with you." Lina finally conceded with a white gloved hand over her face in mortification.

(Ly) "So it's **not** just one guy you're worried about then…" Lynn said quietly. "You're worried about what **everyone** thinks."

"…What… was that…?" The sorceress slowly removed her hand from her face and locked eyes with the younger mage to ask.

"You told me earlier that you weren't ashamed of how you feel about each other, but you won't even check out a book on how to put more variety into your love life with her in front of a complete stranger that you probably won't ever see again?" Linni-kinns asked with her arms folded. "That guy's not here right now is he?"

"No he's not." Lina answered with an unreadable expression on her face as Katibree did her best to gauge the fiery redhead's reaction to the unexpected criticism.

"Then what's the big deal?" The sorceress in training asked with a shrug. "You two are supposed to support each other's interests as a couple, so what if that means enduring a little embarrassment in front of a complete stranger?"

"……………… Mind your own business will ya?" The sorceress genius finally replied with a smirk. "We'll meet you by the front door in a few." She added more quietly while taking an arm of the ex-assassin. "Let's go ya big perv…"

"Don't act like you're not even remotely **curious**." The half drow chuckled.

Lynn broke into a huge smile as the two headed toward the library counter to check the book out before virtually bouncing in the general direction of the entrance.

Once the duo had made it to the counter, the mostly platinum haired warrior set the book down in front of the middle aged woman behind it wordlessly.

"According to the tag here, there's more than one copy of this book available; did you want to check it out or buy it?" The woman asked before opening the book to catalogue it as checked out or sold and raising her eyebrows at the contents within.

The half elf merely looked at Lina and grinned at this question.

"…Go ahead…" The redhead laughed quietly before burying her face in the older girl's arm as the librarian looked at first one girl and then the other in amusement.

"If that's the case, we'll purchase it." Katibree replied while touching her forehead to the top of the younger girl's head with a grin.

"Very good, that'll be 20 silver then ladies." The woman said in a business like manner but with a twinkle of good humor in her grey eyes. "Thank you for your donation to keep this facility up and running." She added while taking the coin from the half elf.

"It's our pleasure." The ex-assassin replied with a slight nod of her head.

"How long has it been if you don't mind me asking?" The librarian asked pleasantly as she placed the coin in a small safe.

"Officially…? I'd say we're coming up on the 3 month mark now aren't we Red?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked.

"That sounds about right, yeah." The sorceress agreed shyly.

"Well congratulations, you two make a beautiful couple." The woman said with a warm smile after fitting the book with it's proper case and handing it to the redhead.

"T-thank you…" The sorcery genius replied, her blush flaring back up to full effect as the two left the counter and headed for the entrance to the library where Linni was waiting.

(Ly) "So how'd your encounter with the random stranger go?" Lynn asked coyly as the two girls came walking up.

(L) "She said… we make a 'beautiful couple'…" Lina said quietly.

"Well, you two **do** look good together… but not as good as - -"

"Mono Volt…" The older redhead replied with a nonchalant pat on Lynn's shoulder guard.

"What - - Aaaarrrrgghhh!" The sorceress in training exclaimed as she was unceremoniously shocked. "…Urgh…." She finally managed from her position on the ground after blowing out a bit of smoke and shaking her head from side to side to shake off the char. "Fine, I'll lay off the girlfriend jokes already…" She couldn't help but laugh as she stood.

"You really do catch on quick!" The sorcery genius teased while rustling the yellow eyed girl's red mane vigorously. "But seriously we really do have stuff we need to do so let's get down to business eh?"

"I understand." The younger redhead replied decidedly more solemnly as they walked down the steps of the library.

As the trio made their way to the street, the sorcery genius glanced over at the horses. _Wow he's actually still there? _"Ok, so first things first…" She began after they'd made it to a fairly secluded area in what was probably not the best neighborhood in town. "During this exercise I want you to visualize a ball of energy in your mind and concentrate on pouring your energy into that ball you're imagining and channel raw magical energy between your hands."

"Ok." Lynn said before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, cupping her hands loosely in front of her as a slowly whirling vortex of energy began to twist around her causing a certain half drow to step away to put some distance between herself and the sudden energy flare up.

"You're all over the place Lynn, there's no point in letting the water from a faucet go down the drain unused; that ball you're visualizing is your cup, so use it." The sorcery genius instructed with her arms folded, her crimson tresses fluttering slightly as the younger girl's magical output increased. "**Focus**." She added more forcefully as she felt the sorceress in training's control slipping.

Linni-kinns furrowed her eyebrows with a little growl of frustration at this before finally being able to successfully manipulate her energy by imagining it flowing to one spot. _Just like in the library… _She thought to herself determinedly as the once mostly colorless forming ball of energy suddenly flared orange and grew in size.

(K) "Um…"

Lina merely looked at this with a nervous smile sporting a fang. _She just changed raw magical energy into a fireball with sheer force of will…that's… a pretty high end trick and a dangerous one at that…_"That's pretty impressive Linni, but go ahead and reign it in and dispel it…"

The younger girl opened her yellow eyes and blinked at this. "How do ya do that? Hey, this looks like a Fireball…" She added in bemusement.

"That's because it **is** a Fireball! What do ya mean, how do you do that??" The older redhead asked haggardly. It's the fundamental basics that everyone's supposed be taught before they even begin casting anything more powerful than a light spell!"

"Oh really…? I must of skipped that day or something…" Linni-kinns replied with a sweat-drop as she continued to pour more energy into the growing Fireball. "So… how do I….. reign it in…?" She added with a laugh.

"Imagine it in reverse, **reverse**!" The sorcery genius exclaimed with both hands to her head as Katibree backed even further away with a sweat-drop of her own.

"Ok…. Faucet in reverse, faucet in reverse…" The younger redhead chanted to herself with her eyes squeezed shut as the formally contained vortex of magical power was once again unleashed.

"I said **reverse **the faucet, not **break** it and flood the damned **kitchen**!" Lina exclaimed while rustling her hair in agitation.

"Sorry!" The younger girl called back while struggling to control the now beach ball sized orb of orange energy.

"Ok just forget it, listen to me carefully… I need you to chuck it in the air and once it's far enough away, snap your fingers while imagining the energy blasting outwards and shout 'break'!" The sorcery genius instructed while shielding her face with an arm and gauging the make up of the Fireball.

"Gotcha!" Lynn affirmed before promptly chucking the fireball.

"_**Aiiiieeeeeee**_, what the **hell** do ya think you're _**doing**_??" The older redhead exclaimed in disbelief.

"I thought you said to **chuck** it - -"

"In the **air**, not at a fricking _**shop**_ - - !" _**KRA-KOOOOW**_!!

The resulting explosion took out 3 buildings.

"Oops…" Linni-kinns said quietly with a little wince after the three of them had braced themselves against the aftershock of the explosion, their tresses and capes rustling behind them wildly.

"Oops…" The sorcery genius repeated while staring at the chaos expressionlessly, partially hypnotized by the flames as people began to gather while muttering. _How many times have I said that in my life time for pretty much the same thing?_ She wondered to herself._ "That had some pretty impressive kick in it for a fledgling mage Linni."_

"_You really think so…?"_ The sorceress in training asked with a flush of pleasure at the seasoned mage's praise as yet more people began to gather.

(K) "It's the wrath of the Monstrous Zelmogustar!" Katibree suddenly exclaimed to the gathering on lookers. "We should all go to our shrines and pray for his forgiveness least he strike down this Kingdom and all it inhabitants for displeasing him!" She continued while gesturing dramatically. _Let's just hope Queen Zoanna requires her residents to be a fanatical as she is to stay here…_

At this outburst some of the onlookers began to moan and gnash their teeth while others dropped to their knees and began praying right there, while still others ran off to their respective spots to pray.

_Yup, that did it. _The half elf thought to herself with a smirk.

The two sorceresses looked at the ex-assassin in bemusement at this.

"What?" The half drow asked with a shrug and a smile. "Come on!" She laughed before jogging off, gesturing for them to follow.

(Ly) "It… seems like she's used to doing this type of thing…" Linni-kinns deducted while jogging along side the older redhead with a grin.

"Yeah, she's become a natural at redirecting the focus of cataclysms from the actual source for some reason." Lina replied with a grin of her own.

"Does she have a younger sister?" The sorceress in training asked hopefully.

"Nope, but rumor has it that she has a **brother**." The sorcery genius answered wryly.

"I **heard** that Red." The ex-assassin called over her shoulder causing the sorceress to giggle.

"Is **he** cute?"

"I guess so, but he's way self conscious of his appearance although no one else seems to think it's that bad… and besides he's kinda seeing someone else right now anyway…"

"Darn it, can't a girl catch a break?"

"Don't worry you'll find someone, **believe** me… if I can, **anyone** can." The older redhead replied as they finally caught up to Katibree who was leaning against a wall near a restaurant.

"Why do you say it like that…? I mean, you're really pretty…"

"It wasn't so much my looks that was the problem… people just tend to get a complex when they consider asking a girl on a date that has the power to save or destroy the world I guess." Lina explained. "I really haven't had many suitors over the years just blatantly ask me out, and the ones that did were usually pretty far off the deep end."

"Did… Katibree ask you out…?"

(K) "Nope, I'm not crazy." The half elf replied before receiving a punch to the arm. "I'm not!" She laughed.

"I did most of the work, she was fighting and clawing the whole way." The sorcery genius agreed with a chuckle.

"Ok, so I guess the moral of the story is to try and get a boyfriend or girlfriend before I become super powerful and famous?" Lynn asked with a grin.

"It'd definitely be easier for you in the long haul I'd think." Lina replied with a nod while patting the younger redhead on a shoulder pad.

(G) "**Linaaaaaa**!" Gourry suddenly called on horseback from a distance. "What's up Katibree?" He added with a cheerful wave.

(S) "Hey you two!" Sylphiel called from behind him while waving as well.

"Heya gang!" The sorceress called back while Lynn observed with interest as the two older girls just barely noticeably put more distance between themselves unconsciously.

The mostly platinum haired warrior merely waved back with a smirk.

"_So is that the guy…?" _Linni-kinns whispered to the half drow.

"That's right." The ex-assassin affirmed with a nod.

"_He's __**hot**__, since Lina doesn't want him… I'll take him!"_

"_There's a problem with that, she's already been trying to get him interested in other people; he's just too hung up on her."_

"_Some girls have all the luck…" _The younger redhead pouted.

(L) "Be careful what you wish for Linni, what you think would be a blessing can turn out to be allot closer to a curse." Lina said cryptically as the swordsman savant and the shrine maiden came riding up.

(G) "Hey who's this?" The blonde warrior asked while jumping down from his mount before helping the raven haired girl down as well. "From far away I thought there were all of the sudden 2 Lina's and that the world was about to end!" He added with a laugh.

"Oh this is Linni-kinns, and yeah the world might be in some serious trouble with two of me running around." The sorcery genius joked back with a grin.

(S) "Nice to meet you Miss Linni-kinns, and speaking of trouble, what happened further up the street?" Sylphiel asked. "Did you get into a fight Miss Lina?"

"No actually, that incident was closer to a… training session gone array you could say." The sorceress explained while rubbing the back of her neck as Lynn shook Gourry's hand in greeting. "I was giving Linni here some pointers and things kind of got out of hand… Anyway, have you two seen Zel and Amelia yet?"

(G) "No, not yet." The swordsman savant replied.

(K) "There's no way they missed an explosion of that magnitude, I'm sure that if we stick around a little longer they'll show up."

"You're probably right about that Kat." Lina said with a slight rustle of her crimson mane. "Alright, well once you meet the rest of the gang you've gotta get to class Linni."

"Awww - -" The younger redhead tried to complain.

"You promised, remember?" The sorcery genius chided. "Besides, you've caused enough collateral damage today… and that's supposed to be **my** job."

The gang shared a good laugh at this as Zelgadis and Amelia came trotting up on their horse.

(Z) "What'd we miss?" The heartless mystical swordsman asked wryly.

"Yeah and who's that?" Amelia asked with interest.

"The name's Lynn Elizabeth Kinnis, but you can call me Linni-kinns!" The yellow eyed girl answered energetically. "Nice to meet ya!"

"My name's Amelia!" The Seyruun princess replied while jumping down off of her steed and shaking the sorceress in training's hand vigorously. "Are you going to be traveling with us now too?"

"I'd love to, but I'm only a first year apprentice…" Lynn replied with a hand behind her head. "I mean, I wouldn't mind learning out in the real world of course…"

(L) "Nice try Linni…" Lina chuckled while draping an arm over the younger redhead's shoulders. "But you need to get your fundamentals down first at least, maybe I'll check up on ya in 6 months to a year." _I might actually consider it if the situation we're in wasn't so dangerous, she's definitely got some serious potential._

"Oh, would you really?? I promise to study really hard!" The yellow eyed girl gushed.

"I'll make a note of it." The sorcery genius affirmed.

"Will you… bring Katibree with you…?" The younger redhead asked hopefully.

"That's up to Kat." The sorceress replied with a shrug.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, now get to class." Katibree said while giving the sorceress in training's bangs a light rustle.

"Ok, Ok… g'bye everyone, it was nice to meet you all!" The yellow eyed girl called while running off. "Don't forget your promise Lina and Katibree!"

(L) "I won't but don't let me hear you've been slacking!" The redhead called through cupped hands as the ex-assassin waved goodbye.

"You won't!" The sorceress in training called back before waving one last time and rounding a corner.

(Z) "She seemed like a nice enough girl." Zelgadis mused.

(L) "She was, but man was she a handful!" Lina said while stretching lavishly. "Anyway, what do you guys say we talk about what we found out over some food?"

(G) "Yeah food!"

(Z) "You guys just ate a huge meal a few **hours** ago…" The mystical swordsman began to protest.

(K) "You can't tell me you aren't used to this already after traveling with them for all these years, Greywords." The half elf joked with a resigned shrug as the crew headed into the 'conveniently' close eatery that they were standing in front of.

"Granted, but that still doesn't make it any less absurd…" The chimera replied with a sweat-drop as the rest of the crew seated themselves and began pointing things out on the menu that they wanted to try.

Just then a shifty looking man with a red scarf wrapped over his face and head so that only his eyes were visible began to head toward the table, making a b-line for Lina as the two blue warriors conversed. The chimera and half drow abruptly cut off their conversation and barred the man's way with their arms folded as Gourry partially stood from the table with his hand hovering over the hilt of Gorunova while scrutinizing the man warily.

(K) "Sorry, but this is a private party." _He's not an assassin… closer to a scout or tracker. _The half elf deducted.

(Z) "Is there some business you have with us?" The Zelgadis asked, the aura of malevolence around him practically physically tangible in the air.

The seedy man first looked at Katibree and Zelgadis with his smoke colored pupils and then at Gourry behind them before speaking. "I have a message for Miss Lina Inverse." He said before slowly reaching into his shawl and producing a letter with writing on the front and red wax sealing the back of it.

The scout held out the letter to the half drow with his head slightly bowed and once she took it, he disappeared in a plume of grey smoke.

The ex-assassin merely chuckled in amusement while turning around to hand Lina the letter as Gourry stood the rest of the way up looking around suspiciously.

(Z) "Hold on a second, are you sure that's safe?" The mystical swordsman asked.

"Relax it's a legit letter Greywords." The half elf replied while stifling a laugh as Lina took the letter wordlessly.

(A) "Then what was up with that creepy guy?"

"Let's just say someone really wanted to find Lina, and they paid good money to do it." Katibree explained. "That guy was a scout / tracker hired to find and deliver messages to people that would other wise be impossible to for one reason or another, I know because I used to do the work myself when I was working my way up the ranks of my Guild."

(A) "Does that mean you can do that cool smoke thing too then Miss Katibree…?"

"That's…more of a ninja thing actually - -"

(Z) "**Anyway**… if it's legit, then who's it from Lina?" The chimera interrupted with an exasperated sigh.

The sorcery genius remained silent a bit longer, re-reading the letter a few more times before finally speaking. "It's… it's from Fillia…" She finally managed in surprise as everyone minus Katibree and Sylphiel leaned over her to take a look.

Author's notes:

(1.) Whew, sorry about the wait folks… it's like my new job is sucking the creativity right outta me lol. I'll definitely try and get future installments out in a more timely fashion.


	61. Chapter 61

All Resources

(A) "The letter's from Miss Fillia, what's it say?" Amelia asked in excitement while wriggling her way forward and even further between Gourry and Zelgadis who were also leaning over Lina with interest.

"It basically says that she's found out some very important information and needs to speak to me as soon as possible, but we need to talk in person due to the sensitivity of the subject matter…" Lina answered with a slight frown. "There's also the location of where she's currently staying as well as directions on how to get there."

(Z) "Well judging from your reaction just now, you haven't heard from Fillia in quite some time… so why would she be contacting you now all the sudden Lina?" Zelgadis asked. "Do you think her sending this letter is somehow related with this whole monster cloning mess?"

"Could be… I mean, whenever we just sort of find ourselves all gravitating together again it's never a coincidence." The redhead mused while handing the letter to the chimera. "It's always to save the world from some imminent threat or another… the main question I have at this point is whether we're dealing with one steadily growing cataclysm or two separate ones now." She added while leaning back in her chair and flinging up her hands with a resigned gesture.

"This is definitely her handwriting…" The mystical swordsman said as he looked the letter over himself with Gourry gazing over his shoulder.

(S) "Uhm… who is this… Miss Fillia, how do you all know her…?" Sylphiel asked.

(L) "She's the last golden dragon priestess of the Fire Dragon King who came to us a couple of years ago with a prophesy and helped us defeat The dark lord Dark Star from the Overworld, who was fused with Bolfied the God of the Overworld… who was later fused with Valgaav an ancient dragon who's people were betrayed by the golden dragons that worshiped the Fire Dragon King and blah, blah, blah… it's a long story." The sorcery genius explained with a shrug.

"O-oh…. I… suppose it is…" The shrine maiden managed to reply to the landslide of information.

(A) "Yeah, that was a pretty complicated situation where it was really hard to tell who the actual bad guys were sometimes…" The Seyruun princess added.

(K) "Well history lessons and moral grey areas on an epic scale aside, what are we going to do now?" Katibree asked while stretching in her own chair. "We don't know how long it's going to take to find a lead with the copy deal, and now we've got another apparently urgent matter to attend to that may or may not be related in a completely different location…"

(A) "Do you think that maybe we should… split up into two groups or something Miss Lina…?" The cerulean eyed princess offered. "That way some of us could go see what Miss Fillia wants and the rest could continue the monster cloning investigation…"

"…While that wouldn't be so risky at this point and allot more convenient, I don't think that'd be the best idea Amelia." The sorcery genius glanced over at the younger girl to reply. "The problem is that if we split up, there's no telling how far away the members of the team carrying on the investigation will have to go to find a lead or how long it will take to find it, provided they even do find one at all…"

Katibree merely rolled her lavender colored eyes at this statement, but remained silent.

(Z) "That's right, and during that period of time the potential number of copies will be increasing by the day, not to mention the fact that there's no way to tell when this Soshurn is planning his next ambush." Zelgadis added before handing the letter back to Lina and taking his seat at the table once more with Gourry doing the same.

(S) "Ok, well… if we're going to stay together as a group… it's one option or the other…" Sylphiel mused. "So which one are we going to do…?"

"As far as I'm concerned Sylphiel, that's a no brainer… Our best lead on **anything** right now is Fillia, because up until this point all we've been doing is taking shots in the dark really, and on top of that she's one more potential ally to have with us once it decides to hit the fan again."

(G) "Ok, so we're going to go see Fillia now, right Lina?" The blonde warrior asked.

"It's looking that way Gourry."

"So where are we supposed to meet her?"

"Honestly I'm not sure exactly…" The sorceress replied while looking over the letter once more. "She didn't give the name of the location… just the coordinates and general directions to it. But from what I can tell, it's located somewhere near or on the outskirts of the Kataart Mountains…"

The ex-assassin went over her mental map of the region a moment before standing up abruptly with a deep sigh to curious glances all around. _It's like once someone's come to this continent, they're sucked into one endless circle it's so unexplored…just different areas of the same places over and over again…_She thought to herself with irritation. "I'm going to grab the horses from the library." She added audibly before leaving without another word as the rest of the gang stared after her.

(Z) "…What's up with elf?" Zelgadis finally asked after a moment of unsure silence.

"She's never cared for civilization much; my guess is she's going a little stir-crazy…" Lina answered as the food was finally brought to the table.

"Hum… I guess I could see that, elves are usually more nature orientated from what I understand…" The chimera mused. "And speaking of elves… I've never heard of a type with blue skin before… just what race of elf is Katibree exactly Lina?"

"For one thing, she's only half elf… and as far as what kind, you'd have to ask her that yourself; if anyone would understand the want for privacy due to trust issues, it's you Zel." The redhead replied while spearing a huge piece of meatloaf before the plate had even been placed completely in front of her.

"Well said Lina, well said." The mystical swordsman conceded with a smirk before taking another sip of wine, dropping the subject all together for now.

(S) "So if we've got another destination that we need to travel to now… are we going to try and get some travel time in this evening or just head out in the morning?" Sylphiel raised her voice slightly to ask over a certain swordsman savant's noisy eating.

"I'd say chances are that Fillia's been trying to get in touch with me for a pretty long time if she resorted to the method that she did to find me…" The sorcery genius said surprisingly well around a mouthful of now unidentifiable food. "So I'd say the best thing to do would be to take the rest of the day off to relax and then set a breakneck pace for the coordinates she indicated in the letter tomorrow. How's that sound?" She added while placing an elbow on the table and propping up her head with it.

"Sounds good to me… to be honest all of that horseback riding has been pretty rough…" The shrine maiden replied before trailing off with a blush.

(G) "Yeah, earlier today she said that if she had to ride much longer she was afraid her butt might fall off!" Gourry clarified with a laugh.

The raven girl merely blushed more profusely at this causing the gang to erupt into a variety of chuckles and giggles.

(Z) "Anyway, I wouldn't mind some down time myself… keeping track of you guys and staying out of sight was pretty rough work; it didn't help that you were all on horseback either." Zelgadis replied after the laughter had died down.

Lina merely sweat-dropped with lowered eyelids at this statement, producing a nonchalant shrug in response from the mystical warrior before turning her attention to Amelia for her input.

"Staying the night is fine by me, but can I make a request Miss Lina?" The cerulean eyed princess asked.

"Sure, what's up Amelia?" The sorcery genius asked lightly.

"Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind getting one less inn room tonight so that we could… share one…?" The Seyruun princess asked somewhat bashfully, causing a certain mystical swordsman to raise an eyebrow in interest and drawing the attention of the rest of the table as well.

"Wh-ah… you want to share a room with me…?" The redhead sputtered, taken aback by the abruptness of the request. "We don't have to cut corners right now, I mean…It's not like we're hard up for money or anything- -"

"Oh I know Miss Lina, it's just that we still haven't had much time to catch up and I think a sleep over just like old times would be fun!" Amelia explained hopefully. "I mean, there's no use paying for an extra room if we don't need it right?"

_I don't know, I'd kinda gotten used to doing just that on a regular basis honestly… _The sorceress thought to herself while rubbing the back of her neck with a smile and a sweat-drop. "Eh heh, I guess it couldn't hurt to have a mini girl's night to catch up some more, we never got around to it during the brief stay in Seyruun anyway." She finally agreed. "But no staying up too late or we'll be the living dead in the morning and we all know how much Sylphiel hates zombies…" She added jokingly.

"Agreed!" Amelia giggled.

(L) "Hey did you want to come too Sylphiel…?"

"Uhm… well actually, I've been doing allot of thinking lately since the incident in the canyon… and I think it'd be better for me to just do some studying tonight…" The shrine maiden replied quietly. "Everyone else has such strong offense that I really think I should work on mine some more with the current situation…"

(Z) "Wow Sylphiel, I never knew you were such a trooper…" Zelgadis teased good-naturedly. "Way to take the initiative, I'm impressed."

"It's nothing really…" The raven haired girl replied in embarrassment.

(L) "I think you've made allot of improvement but oh well, whatever you feel is necessary Syl." Lina said with a stretch as she stood from the table. "Hey Amelia, can you do me a favor and rent the rooms we'll need here and have the last few orders of food sent up and divided between all of them? I want to take one last look around town before it gets too dark…"

"Sure thing Miss Lina!' The cerulean eyed princess chirped. "The largest portions go to our room and Mr. Gourry's right?"

"Do you even need to ask?" The redhead asked with a trademark Lina Inverse wink before heading to the door of the establishment with a rustle of her cape.

Once the sorcery genius had made her way outside and took in her surroundings briefly, she slowly took to the air with a Levitation spell to scan the rooftops and soon enough she spied what she was looking for. "Ray wing!"

"Hey..." Lina said after finally touching down next to the ex-assassin who was sitting on a rooftop overlooking a small forested area several blocks away from the place they'd chosen to stay the night at.

"Hey." The half drow answered more coolly than she had intended. "The horses are tied up in front of the inn with the others now." She added more quietly.

The younger girl's brow furrowed slightly at this. "That's all well and good but…what's the deal with you just storming out in the middle of dinner like that..?"

"Why don't we just drop this before it even begins Red?" The half elf replied matter of factly.

"Look Kat if you have something to say, then **say** it." The sorceress said while willing the older girl to make eye contact with her. "You had something to say at dinner didn't you, so why didn't you just speak up instead of leaving and sulking about it?"

"I **wasn't** sulking." Katibree retorted indignantly.

"Well if you weren't **then**, you are **now** so spit it out 'cause I'm not 'dropping it'."

"Look just let it go for once - -"

"**Out** with it already, Kat." The redhead interjected impatiently.

The ex-assassin stood abruptly and turned to the redhead at this. "Fine. The reason I didn't 'speak up' during the meeting at dinner after you got your letter, was because I don't agree with your decision, and it would have been disrespectful for me to undermine you in front of your friends."

"……..You mean the decision to stick together and head to Fillia's location together?" Lina finally asked with some confusion.

"What other recent discussion was there?" The half elf asked dryly.

"What other **decision** was there to make?" The younger girl retorted in surprise.

"What do you **mean** what other decision - - use your **resources**!" The mostly platinum haired warrior finally blurted in frustration.

"**Resources**?" The sorcery genius asked, genuinely lost at this point.

"**What**, now that we've slept together and you have your proverbial newly tamed half drow, descendant of the Chosen of Shabranigdo / ex-assassin / secret trophy girlfriend… I'm just a pretty face?"

"W-what no I- -" Lina stammered at a loss for words.

"Did you forget that I've spent over **half** my life scouting and gathering intel?"

"Well, no but - -"

"But **what**?" The half elf interrupted while glaring at her, her luminous eyes flashing angrily. "Explain to me why it makes **any** sense at _**all**_ to just drop one lead for another when you've got someone in the group that **specializes** in investigating things just **like** this undetected that can **easily** gather and bring back info while you and the rest of the group take care of other things."

"Ok, ok… I know that you're good at what you do, but it's just too…" The sorceress managed before simply trailing off at the expression on the larger girl's face.

"Too dangerous right?" The ex-assassin deadpanned.

"…Yeah." The younger girl finally admitted.

"I don't **want** any special treatment, Lina."

"What are you **talking** about, Kat…? I don't **give** you any special treatment."

"**Bull**, we _**all**_ have roles and specialties. When a huge attack is coming at us and Nels Rada steps up front with a barrier spell because she has the strongest defensive capabilities of the group, you don't grab her by the arm and say: 'No Sylphiel, it's too dangerous.' When Gabriev goes charging into a group of enemies to cover you while you do your thing, you don't say: 'No Gourry, it's too risky - -'

"That's not the same as **completely** leaving the group and going off on your own **Katibree**." The sorcery genius argued.

"…So you're telling me that if **Greywords** decided to leave and do some scouting on his own and get back with everyone later, you'd be _**just**_ as opposed to the idea as you are to the idea of **me** doing it…?" The older girl clarified heatedly.

Lina merely averted her ruby colored gaze in silence at this. "No…probably not." She finally answered quietly.

"That's **exactly** my point."

The sorcery genius closed her eyes and sighed deeply to clear her thoughts at this. "Look Kat, I know you've been getting edgy the past few days… but besides you getting a bad case of the wanderlust and taking it out on me because it's making you cranky…" She began before trailing off to reopen her eyes and look directly at the half drow. "I know there's more to it, so what else is going on?"

The ex-assassin thought she could almost feel herself physically deflate at this observation. _Damn it… _"I'm… I'm sorry about… blowing up like that… that's why I really didn't want to talk about this until I cooled off some at least…" She tried to explain while running her fingers through her mostly platinum colored locks. "It's just that I feel like… there're too may distractions and not enough actions being taken for the situation at hand… I mean, I'm starting to feel like I'm trapped in this… merry-go-round of happy go luckiness and carefree glee where no one takes **anything** seriously enough and because of that, we **never** follow anything through because as soon as something else **shiny** is waved in front of our faces we head in another direction **completely**.

"I'm following you here but believe me, there's a method to our madness; it's not like this is the only time we've faced a crisis so things are just business as usual for us for the most part." The redhead replied with a shrug.

"How is skipping around and taking shots in the dark while waiting to be attacked with a smile even **remotely** business related? Today was a **joke**; it was closer to a recreational **romp** than an investigation…" The half elf continued while beginning to pace back and forth in agitation, the setting sun in the background highlighting her silhouette.

"Just try and relax ok, Hun?"

"How **can** I, I don't even have a decent **outlet** anymore, there's been no time for me to seriously train in **forever**." The older girl replied before turning away and walking toward the middle of the roof. "And on top of that, I can still feel myself changing day by day… so I have no idea of what I'm capable now and I hate not being at 100 percent or at least knowing what my new 100 percent is…"

"Just do me a favor and slow down a second Kat…" Lina attempted again while following after her.

"And I like everyone on the team and all, but there's been no solitude, no peace… no place or time at all for me to focus on that in **weeks**. It was ok when it was just us but, I'm losing my mind here Lina - -" The rest of the mostly platinum haired warrior's continued rant was cut short as the redhead caught up to her and grabbed the larger girl by the arm, spinning her around and pulling her in for a deep kiss.

"Hey we're already at our psychotic episode quota for this month ok?" The redhead said teasingly but gently after pulling away slightly and placing her forehead against the half elf's own lowered forehead.

"…What can I say, I'm an over-achiever." Katibree couldn't help but joke back after a short silence between the two.

"Yeah, I know you are." The sorcery genius laughed quietly before growing more serious as she pulled the rest of the way away from the older girl. "But seriously, it honestly didn't dawn on me to send you out for reconnaissance, and even if it had, I wouldn't have had a clue that not doing so would have upset you this much."

"Oh come on, just think about it…" The ex-assassin replied

"What?" The sorceress asked.

"Ok I'll give you an example: you're in a group being led by someone else…"

"Yeah…?"

"And you all come to this door with this massive magical seal on it…"

"Ok…"

"And the leader's like: 'This seal can only be broken by someone with unfounded magical prowess, looks like we'll have to find another way in…' And just leads the group away afterwards."

The sorcery genius merely closed her eyes and folded her arms while stress-marking silently at this.

"You'd be just fine with that?" The mostly platinum haired warrior persisted wryly, although the smaller girl's reaction said it all.

"_**Hell**_ **no**, **I'd** be wonderin' just who the heck this guy thinks he's got in his party!" Lina huffed as if the insult had truly been directed at her by this imaginary party leader.

"Good, then it looks like we're on the same page now, although the example was a bit exaggerated in comparison.

"…Yeah, I guess we are." The younger girl admitted while averting her eyes with a rustle of her crimson colored mane as she thought. _I know I've been pretty edgy since the canyon incident… If it hadn't happened would I have considered this option automatically because I wasn't feeling as protective of her and more willing to take risks? I mean stopping and thinking about the situation logically, covering all bases possible would be the best option for the team overall… and putting all personal feeling aside… _She continued to herself mentally before trailing off to size up the half drow objectively. _Katibree's by far the best suited for the job. It makes sense, but I still don't like it… _"Alright." The sorceress finally decided.

"So am I cleared to go then?" Katibree asked.

"… 'Cleared to go'?" Lina repeated in amusement. "You've already proven your point and you're **still** asking for permission?"

The ex-assassin blushed slightly at this. "Girlfriend or not, you're still the boss… I'm just here for support." She said while rubbing the back of her neck. "Believe it or not, people looking to you as leader isn't some funny coincidence."

"As strongly as you feel about this, you're telling me that if I still decided against this you wouldn't just go anyway?" The redhead couldn't help but reiterate.

The mostly platinum haired warrior could only smile and shrug at this. "Do you really take the influence you have over your comrades so lightly?" She asked. "You really **are** a natural."

The sorcery genius merely blinked at this statement a moment before sighing and scratching the back of her head. "Yeah well… I never asked for any of this. Anyway here, if you've **ever** memorized a map, memorize **this** one." She said opening the letter Fillia had sent to her and handing the older girl the map portion of it.

"That's easy enough."

"Alright, and did you want to take anyone as backup?"

"I know you'd prefer it, but it'd honestly make gaining intel more risky."

"How so?"

"Let's see...we've got the Princess and her uncontrollable urges to make justice speeches which she's liable to haul off with at any inopportune time, most likely behind enemy lines when she's seen some wrong being committed." The half elf began while counting with her fingers as Lina rolled her ruby colored eyes.

"There's Nels Rada and her morals: 'Oh, Miss Katibree… you're not going to stab that man in the back are you…?'" She continued to explain as the sorceress smacked herself on the forehead while squeezing her eyes shut.

(L) "Yeah, she probably wouldn't be the best partner for you either."

"Then there's Gabriev, I give him the hand signal to go right from across the way… and he cups his hands and proceeds to shout that he forgot what that signal means at the top of his lungs, conveniently alerting everyone in the area to our whereabouts…"

"Ok, ok… well what about Zelgadis…?" The younger girl offered while rubbing a temple.

"I've known Greywords even less time than I've known Princess Seyruun and I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable working with him alone at this point." The half drow explained. "He **was** hired to kill me after all."

_I could definitely see the trust issue there… _The redhead thought to herself with a sweat-drop. _And I can't go; Fillia wants to see me specifically… _"I guess this **has** to be a solo mission regardless of how I feel about it then." She finally conceded.

The half elf nodded at this before handing the smaller girl back the map portion of the letter. "And besides, this way there won't be any distractions so I'll have the chance to get some training in as well."

Lina stared at the moon motionlessly with her crimson tresses trailing out and past her face, blowing with the cool evening breeze for what seemed like forever before finally speaking again. "You've got two weeks and two days… One week for intel, one week to head back, and a two day grace period to make up for the difference in distance between Zoanna and the Kataart mountains."

"Understood."

"But if the moon is where it is now on that 16th night and you still haven't returned…" The redhead continued before trailing off to push some hair out of her face and behind her ear while turning her head to look at the older girl directly, the ghostly light of the moon glinting off of her ruby colored orbs chillingly. "I stop being a leader, and become the girlfriend that's hell bent on finding the most important person in her life at all costs."

"Don't make that face, it won't come to that." Katibree said while wrapping her arms around the sorceress.

"Just be sure to tell me 'you told me so' once you're back to me in one piece." The redhead replied quietly before leaning in for a lingering kiss.

"Do you honestly think you'd have to **remind** me to rub it in when it comes to getting the better of you?" The half elf asked afterwards with a grin.

Lina managed a sad little smile at this while reluctantly detangling herself from the older girl's embrace before giving her chest a half hearted shove. "Just… just go before I change my mind will ya?" She practically whispered.

At this, the ex-assassin backed toward the edge of the roof with a carefree grin that didn't reflect the twinges of reluctance tugging at the strings of her heart. _A couple of weeks away from each other is worth it if I can get some type of legitimate heads up on this situation and form a definite route to resolution for it…_"Don't worry about anything in the travel packs; I like to travel light on missions like this."

"Not **that** light if you're going to be testing out your newest powers." The redhead replied while reaching back and underneath her cape.

"Good idea, thanks." The mostly platinum haired replied while catching a still sheathed Twinkle by the hilt. "I'll be back before you know it."

"If you find anything at all you'd better make a note of it and get back to the meeting point, no heroics Katibree!"

"I wouldn't dream of it Red!"

With this the half drow merely winked and back flipped off of the side of the roof, disappearing into the night.

_Should I really have let her go…?_


	62. Chapter 62

Seyruun Family Lineage

After having made it back to the inn and getting her room key from the desk clerk, Lina made her way up the stairs and to her room in a state of emotional drudgery, unlocked her door and unceremoniously flung it open. "A-Am-Amelia…?" She stammered in surprise. _After that whole thing with Kat I totally forgot she asked to share a room tonight…_

"Yes, you….. silly… Miss Lina…" The cerulean eyed girl managed with some serious effort, swaying a bit from her seat on the bed and nearly spilling the bottle of wine on the floor next to her while lifting a leg to regain her balance. "We talked about the slep over earlier remember…? Jeez… Mr… Gourry's memry mus be… washin' off on you…"

_And what's with the slinky nightgown anyway…? _"…………I pretty sure you meant 'wearing or rubbing' off just now… anyway, Amelia would you mind explaining to me why you're currently **completely** wasted…?" The sorceress replied while still standing in the doorway with a sweat-drop.

"Not wasted, jush alittle…." Amelia replied before trailing off to find the words she was looking for. "Some… tipsy…" She finally finished cheerfully.

"A little… some tipsy." The sorcery genius deadpanned while closing the door behind her before walking over to the younger girl. "Amelia, that's not even a coherent sentence - -" Was all she got out before the princess reached up and grabbed a hold of the pointed collar of her cloak and began to dangle her upper bodyweight from each edge, affectively choking the older sorceress while giggling.

The redhead raised a white gloved hand while stress-marking at this… "….De… Cleary!" She choked out while slapping the Seyruun Princess on the forehead with **very** intentional force, causing the younger girl to squeal with pain and fall backwards on the bed with her legs spread eagled.

"That… _**really**_ **huuurt**…!" The princess partially propped herself up and whined while clutching her forehead with her free hand as the older sorceress averted her eyes from the aforementioned 'spread eagle' with some discomfort.

"Yeah, well it serves ya right for attacking me in a drunken stupor." Lina replied while removing her abused cloak.

"I wasn't trying to, I was… well I'm not sure what I was trying to do anymore, but I'm sure it wasn't attack you…" Amelia pouted while still nursing her forehead.

"Call me crazy Amelia, but I have the tendency to regard any action that involves cutting off my air flow as being extremely undesirable at the very least…" The older sorceress replied while removing her shoulder guards with a little smile.

"Opps, sorry about that…" The cerulean eyed girl replied sheepishly while sitting the rest of the way up in bed. "Everything was kind of a blur up until just now.

"I'll bet, and speaking of that… what's the deal with you deciding to hit the bottle all the sudden anyway?" The sorcery genius asked in genuine interest while pulling off her gloves and tossing them wherever they may land.

"I don't know, I was bringing up your stuff and when I set down your bag I saw the mini bar and…" Amelia trailed off while pressing her index fingers together somewhat nervously for a moment before speaking once more. "Well, I've had allot on my mind lately and I always hear about people drinking their troubles away so I figured I'd give it a try…?" She finished hopefully.

_What else has she heard about alcohol I wonder? _Lina thought to herself while examining the younger sorceress somewhat skeptically. "Drinking doesn't make your troubles go away Amelia, it just makes you forget about them temporarily but they're still there in the morning." She finally said while removing her boots before flopping on the bed belly down.

The Seyruun princess giggled at this. "I know that much, but I thought it would be fun to forget about them for just one night at least you know?"

"Yeah, I guess I've had times like that." _This whole situation has me feeling a little… uncomfortable but she's just the same Amelia I've known for years, there shouldn't be any reason for me to be so nervous, should there? _"So what's got you all wound up anyway?"

"Allot of things really, but I mean… not all of its bad." The younger sorceress replied while scooting around on the bed so that she was facing Lina from her now cross legged sitting position. "There's the thing with Daddy and the Kingdom that's pretty stressful, I mean… since my older sister Gracia still hasn't shown up yet after all these years, I'm still the next successor to the throne and I'm just not sure if I'll be able to live up to Daddy's expectations…"

"I think worrying about that is a waste of energy honestly Amelia." Lina reassured the younger girl. "He's already as proud of you as a father can be of a daughter as it is." _This is the same old Amelia, the only one who's changed is me… well minus the drinking… that's definitely a new one._

"You really think so…?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, you know that." _And besides if I can't relax and have a good time around one of my best friends, it's a pretty sad day in the life of Lina Inverse - -_

"That means allot coming from you Miss Lina!" Amelia squealed happily while giving the sorcery genius a hug from above.

"Come on don't get so excited Amelia, all I did was answer a question you asked!" The redhead laughed while squirming to get out of the awkwardly angled bear hug.

"Sorry about that, I guess I'm still a little tipsy…" The Seyruun princess giggled as she released the hug but remained on the older girl's back. "But I thought De Cleary was supposed to get rid of **all** the effects of the alcohol…?"

"Yeah it's supposed to, I guess I casted the modified version without thinking about it…"

"Modified version…?"

"It was a request - - just never mind…" Lina replied with a sigh. "Anyway, what else has been on your mind?"

"Uhm well… there's the thing with Mr. Zelgadis…" The cerulean eyed girl began slowly while picking herself up off of Lina's back and reaching for the already cracked bottle of white wine on the bedroom floor and putting it to her lips to drink from the bottle.

"Hey, gimmie that ya lush…" The sorcery genius said while propping herself up and taking the bottle from the younger girl. "No wonder you were already two sheets to the wind when I got here." She added while scooting off the bed to get 2 wineglasses and a tray to set them on. "If you're going to drink, at least learn ta pace yourself, the glasses aren't just a formality ya know."

"Pace myself huh?" Amelia asked with a grin.

"That's right." The redhead replied while pouring wine into first one glass and then the other in even portions. "Anyway, what were you saying about Zel just now?"

"Oh, about that…" The younger sorceress began while lifting her wineglass to her lips. "It's just that, I'm not sure what I should do anymore…" She said before downing the entire contents of the glass in seconds.

_So much for her pacing herself… _Lina thought with lowered eyelids while refilling the younger girl's glass upon request. "Do about what?" She asked before taking a sip from her own glass.

"There are a couple of things that I really didn't start thinking about until just lately actually, like what am I going to do if Mr. Zelgadis does finally decide to return my affections?" The princess explained with an anxious tone creeping into her voice.

"Wh-ah - - Amelia you've been barking up that tree for years, why would you just suddenly start worrying about this now!?" The older sorceress balked. "Do you not like him anymore or something?"

"No that's not it Miss Lina… I definitely still love Mr. Zelgadis, but things have gotten more complicated as I've gotten older…" Amelia replied quietly.

"I'm not sure I follow you Amelia, get to the point already." The redhead prodded.

"The thing is, it's starting to look more and more like I'll be the next successor to the throne, and I know that Daddy will never remarry… and I have one uncle left, but because of the string of tragedies his family was lost and he's too old to start a new one…w-which leaves me to carry on the Seyruun name…" The princess explained before downing another glass.

"And chimeras are sterile." Lina finished for her quietly while pouring herself another glass of wine.

"Yeah…" Amelia affirmed sadly.

"So is it Phil who's pressuring you to consider giving up on the idea of being with Zel?"

The cerulean eyed girl blushed vividly at this. "Ah, actually… D-Daddy came up with another idea should Mr. Zelgadis not find his cure and decide to accept my affections anyway ultimately becoming King…"

The sorcery genius raised a single crimson eyebrow at this but remained silent.

"That's… a-actually kind of why I wanted to talk to you in private tonight." The flustered princess managed to continue.

"What… was Philionel's idea… exactly…?" Lina asked slowly while shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

"Well, Daddy suggested that I… ask for your help in continuing the Seyruun family name…"

"My 'help'… and just how exactly am I supposed to 'help' you do that Amelia?" The redhead asked even though she was pretty sure at this point that she didn't want to know anymore.

"J-just hear me out, please Miss Lina?" Amelia asked while cautiously monitoring the redhead's legendary hair-trigger temper as she spoke. "This… isn't easy for me to finally say, but it isn't just Mr. Zelgadis that I'm in love with…"

"What, are you talking about Amelia?" The sorcery genius managed in what she hoped was her best get-to-the-point-you're-boring-me voice while her heart slowly rose and began to pound in her throat. _She __**can't**__ be about to say what I think she's about to say…_

"What, what I'm trying to say is… I'm in love with you too Miss Lina, I… I always have been but I never had the nerve to say - -"

"**Hold** it, _**hold**_ **it**, **HOLD** _**it**_!" Lina interjected forcefully while standing abruptly from the bed. "Where is this coming from all of the sud - - what the hell does what you just said have to do with **any** of the other stuff you were just talking about anyway?? How the hell is suddenly confessing your 'love' to me after all these damn years going to help you… and apparently Zelgadis at all??"

"Miss Lina… please let me explain - -" The younger sorceress tried meekly.

"Explain **what**, how you're planning to complicate things even more than they already are in my life…?"

"Complicate things even more in your life…? But, I… I thought that you said that you weren't… interested in Mr. Gourry anymore s - -"

"I'm **not**."

"Well…I'm sorry if… I mean if you're not that way I understand…"

"…What would it matter if I **was** Amelia…?" The redhead finally replied quietly after walking over to a wall and placing a raised arm on it before placing her forehead against the arm with her eyes closed.

"…Will you just hear me out this time?"

"….I'm listening."

"I… shouldn't have brought my personal feelings into this not knowing where you stood… it just kind of came out and I'm sorry that I upset you Miss Lina, but the request itself really is for the good of Seyruun and you're the only person I could imagine asking."

"Amelia… I am at the **edge**… of my patience." The older girl prodded not so gently with her eyes still closed.

"Fine, I'll just come out and say it." The Seyruun princess said with a determine expression on her face. "Lina Inverse, will you be the sire of my children?"

Lina opened her ruby colored eyes and shifted her head to look directly at the younger sorceress with an unreadable expression on her face at this. "Sire your…?" Was all the she managed before doubling over with laughter. "Chil…dren…! Hah… hahahahaha… what version… of the birds… and bees… has Phil been teach - - teaching… you?!" She managed in between unchecked bursts of laughing fits while rolling on the floor and clutching her stomach. "You really… had me there for a second!"

"But… I'm serious Miss Lina…" The Seyruun princess tried again with a forlorn expression on her face.

"How can you be Amelia?" The older sorceress asked while still attempting to stifle her laughter. "We've bathed together countless times and you have to have realized at **some** point that I totally have the wrong plumb - -"

"There is a way Miss Lina, how do you think the Village of Women that we went to all those years ago still thrives?" The cerulean eyed girl interjected.

"The Village of Women?" The redhead asked sarcastically while standing once more and returning to her previous position against the wall. "You mean the village of men **pretending** to be women?"

"What I'm trying to say is… men may have infiltrated the village over time, but it originally didn't start out that way."

"Ok, ok whatever… I'm still not seeing how this has anything to do with me somehow gaining the ability to impregnate you and help you carry on the Seyruun family lineage."

"Well how did a village that was originally all women thrive for centuries when even making contact with or interacting with a man in anyway was forbidden?"

"You got me." Lina answered dryly while nuzzling her arm with her forehead, causing her headband to slide back and forth slightly.

"Daddy had research done and it turns out they developed a spell and ritual…"

"To become a guy?" The sorcery genius interjected. "Even if that were somehow possible and the person the spell is casted on was originally a girl, doesn't that still pretty much defeat the point Amelia?"

"Well it doesn't technically turn a girl into a guy so much as… um well you only grow…"

"A wang." The older sorceress finished for her shamelessly.

"Y-yes, but the rest stays feminine and… it's temporary… I don't know all the details, but I know it works…"

The older girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly a this. "Is… everything you just said the reason why you asked to share a room with me tonight?" She asked with her eyes still closed. "The reason for you wearing what's practically lingerie and the deal with the alcohol?"

"Well… yes… and no…." Amelia replied tentatively as she slowly rose from the bed and made her way over to the redhead. "It's something I'd like you to consider doing for me sometime in the distant future…" She continued as she closed the distance between herself and Lina before trailing a finger down the side of her arm causing the older girl to stifle a shiver. "But… I was thinking that maybe tonight we could… give it a try without the spell?"

A sudden heat in Lina's loins caused her breath to catch in her throat at the unexpected feel of the younger sorceress's own warm breath on her neck. "……A…Amelia I can't." She managed, finally fluttering her eyes open to find herself face to face with her.

"…You can't, or you won't Miss Lina?" The princess asked while narrowing her brilliant cerulean colored eyes slightly to scrutinize the older girl's facial expressions.

"…What's that supposed to mean?" The redhead asked while shrugging herself off the wall and walking away to put some distance between herself and Amelia and hopefully allow her body temperature and heart rate to return to normal.

"There's a difference, 'can't' means there's something keeping you from doing what you want to, 'won't' means you don't want to."

"Come on Amelia, don't be so literal." Lina said while rubbing the side of her neck to try and get it to stop tingling.

"What **is** it then?" The younger sorceress blurted, suddenly on the verge of tears. "Is it that after all this time you still view me as a child just like Mr. Zelgadis, or do you just find me so repulsive that you can't bring yourself to…?"

"N-no I…. Amelia it's not like that, it's very obvious that you've grown up and I-I don't think you're repulsive at all…" The sorcery genius struggled to explain.

"If you don't think I'm unattractive then you want to at least right…?" The cerulean eyed princess inquired while closing the distance between them once more with a flush on her face partially due to alcohol and partially due to her arousal and frustration.

"I… I…ah… look, it's not that simple ok?" The sorcery genius virtually squeaked while backing away from her awkwardly, tripping and falling backwards on the bed.

"I did mean what I said earlier, but if I'm going to eventually spend the rest of my life with Mr. Zelgadis… I at least want you to be the person I have my first kiss with…" Amelia continued while crawling over Lina until they were once again face to face with the younger sorceress's dark hair spilling down into the redhead's face. "And maybe even my first time…" She leaned down to her ear to add huskily.

"Nhuun…huh…" Was all the older sorceress managed to oddly moan / laugh, her voice cracking in nervousness at the feel of the younger girl's lips brushing her skin. _Shit. Shitshitshitshitshi- -__**damn**__**IT**__! _"……**No** Amelia you really, **really** don't understand that I absolutely, positively can_**not**_do**this**." She blurted in one breath while pushing the younger girl off to the side of her and sitting up as her heart continued to race in her throat. "I…I'm sorry." She added barely audibly while averting her ruby colored gaze apologetically.

The room was silent for several minutes afterwards before the cerulean eyed girl spoke once again, this time with her face pressed into the mattress. "You did give up on Mr. Gourry because you met someone else didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Lina admitted quietly.

"In love?"

"………Hopelessly." The redhead finally admitted to Amelia as well as herself after a deep sigh.

The younger sorceress was quiet after that, still facedown on the mattress with her shoulders trembling slightly a she sobbed.

"Look Amelia, if it'd been a couple of years ago…" The sorcery genius tried to console before trailing off as she realized that her longtime best friend was not sobbing but in fact stifling laughter. "Wh-Hawh…. Was………Was that all just to get me to…. Oh you little - - !"

The rest of what the flabbergasted redhead said was then drowned out by the sound of the Seyruun princess's released torrent of unchecked laughter as she rolled around on the bed clutching her stomach. "I……. **knew** it…..I _**knew**_….it!!" She shouted / squealed in between fits of hilarity.

"Darkness beyond **twilight**, crimson beyond blood that _**flows**_…!" Lina began haggardly.

Amelia cut off her laughter in true alarm at this incantation. "Miss **Lina**, a Dragon Slave'll destroy the whole **town**!"

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power **grows**, I pledge myself to **conquer**, _**all**_ the foes who **stand** - -!"

"Miss Lina please don't…!" The princess pleaded while tackling the older sorceress who was now struggling angrily. "Everything I said before is true, I promise!" She couldn't help but admit and at this admission the redhead stopped struggling and merely looked at her. "Honestly every bit of it was true…" She added while letting the older sorceress up.

Lina sat up and just glared.

"Please don't be mad… I figured it'd be… a win / win situation…"

"And just how so?"

"Well the way I saw it was… tonight I was either going to get you to come clean and tell me the truth or… if there was really nothing that you were hiding, it'd turn out to be a pretty interesting night…" Amelia explained with a pronounced blush.

"………A win / win, huh?"

"That's right, a win / win!" The cerulean eyed girl agreed cheerfully.

"**Digger** _**Bolt**_." The sorcery genius casted, promptly and thoroughly electrocuting her long time best friend. "Yeah, maybe for you." She said before dropping backward on the bed with a relieved shaky sigh as a certain blackened princess dropped from the bed to the floor with a thump followed by the sounds of static crackling. "Well at least we've come to an understanding eh?"

"Wahoo…. Mmmroger that… Miss Li-na." Amelia managed from the floor.

"Good."

"H-ey… Miss Lina…?"

"Yeah Amelia?"

"So…. who **is** it anyway?"

"DIL - -!"

"Never**mind**I**don't**wanttoknow_**anymore**_!"

"_**BRAND**_!"

"_**Aiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee**_!"

"J-just like... old times..." The Seyruun princess laughed as twin waterfalls streamed down her face and the sounds of running footsteps and alarmed voices could be heard approaching from outside thier door.


	63. Chapter 63

Glimpses of Future and Past

(Z) "So much for having a nice relaxing night before we head to the coordinates that Fillia provided us with." Zelgadis grumbled while arranging his sleeping bag. "Leave it to you and Lina to start drinking and get us kicked not only out of the inn, but escorted out of town **altogether** by Martina **herself**."

(A) "Sorry, I guess we did get a little carried away…" The Seyruun princess admitted while wincing at the scolding.

(G) "Yeah, and even after all of that, Lina still had the nerve to demand her money back for the rooms." Gourry added while setting up the campfire with a sweat-drop.

(S) "Well… to Miss Lina's credit, she **did** only ask to be refunded for the rooms that weren't destroyed…" Sylphiel offered.

(A) "Even with all of that, I can understand being kicked out of the inn, but it was pretty mean of Miss Martina to insist we leave town I still say."

(Z) "After what happened to her original kingdom I'd say it makes perfect sense, Lina's the queen of collateral damage after all, and New Zoanna's not nearly as large as original Zoanna was." _And speaking of preventing collateral damage… _"Hey, did anyone see where Lina went, or the elf for that matter?"

(A) "Uhm Miss Lina headed out into the woods a little while ago… but now that I think about it, I haven't seen Miss Katibree since she suddenly left in the middle of dinner…"

(Z) "Come to think of it, neither have I…"

(S) "Oh, do you think we left her behind on accident?"

(G) "I wouldn't worry about that!" The swordsman savant laughed. "Katibree'll find us if she needs to, I've seen it before."

(Z) "Humph." The mystical swordsman grunted as he stood.

(A) "Where are you headed Mr. Zelgadis?"

"To see what Lina's got up her sleeve of course." Was all the chimera said as he headed off into the brush.

"Up her sleeve…?" The cerulean eyed girl repeated as she watched the mystical swordsman disappear into the forest.

Much further into the woods, Lina sat cross-legged on a large boulder in the middle of a brook with her eyes closed and her hands cupped loosely in front of her. _I think I get it now… why Amelia, Zelgadis, and now even Sylphiel are able to cast it and I never have been able to… There was always that expression that Zel and Amelia had on their faces in the middle of the full incantation that I never understood until now…No, I think I understood the linier concept of it, I just wasn't able to fully grasp it…_She continued while opening her ruby colored eyes and standing slowly to gaze up at the night sky. _How could I have if I didn't have anything to relate it to? Those expressions that I always caught a glimpse of while they casted the Ra Tilt was them finding and focusing on their……………_ "Serenity..." She finished audibly with a note of wonderment in her voice. _I always __**thought**__ that was the anchor for the spell, but I could never get it to work so I kept second guessing myself._

At this, the sorcery genius held out a white gloved hand palm up and studied it as a soft bluish light began to emanate from it. _I was never able to cast it before because I only had an idealized concept of it… _She trailed off her train of thought once more to fully focus on the spell composition, first reflexively furrowing her eyebrows before catching herself and correcting her center by relaxing. _I guess some people just need the real thing. _The redhead finished with a little smile as it all clicked and the palm sized ball of light flared outwards causing her hair and cape to rustle wildly while the surrounding water in the brook began to twist and swirl as the growing energy from the spell enveloped the area. "Ra…" She began quietly while slowly extending her palm forward with that same little smile on her face. "Tilt!" She finished as a huge blast of white and blue light shot out and erupted into a pillar of brilliance that lit the surrounding foliage.

Any further contemplation was interrupted by the sound of quiet clapping that caused Lina to turn her head in the direction of the source of the applause with surprise.

(Z) "Bravo, looks like you were finally able to get it." Zelgadis complimented as he clapped. "I suppose that means you don't thrive completely on chaos after all." He added with a smirk and a shrug.

"Yeah, looks that way." The redhead agreed quietly while using a Levitation spell to float from the boulder back to the bank of the brook in a seamless motion.

The mystical swordsman sobered at this unexpectedly subdued response and studied the sorceress more closely at this. _Even after all these years I still haven't managed to figure her out; __She can be so selfish, destructive, reckless and stupid… but at times like this, she almost looks… __**majestic**__… makes no sense at all…_ "Either way, how were you finally able to cast it after all this time?"

"I guess you could say that I did some… soul searching." Lina replied with a faraway look in her ruby colored eyes.

"Fair enough." The chimera conceded with a smile. "So I'm curious…what concept did the world renowned sorceress Lina Inverse finally come up with to serve as a suitable spiritual anchor?"

"…It's not something I came up with or even something I actively sought, I couldn't have… because it didn't always exist." The sorcery genius answered truthfully while sitting down and producing her spell book from a travel pouch to search for a specific page.

"Ok now I'm officially worried." Zelgadis said.

"And why's that?" The redhead asked while finally finding and completing the long unfinished concept for the spell within.

"Because what you said just now actually made **sense**..." The chimera replied while crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby tree, trying once again to reevaluate the young prodigy. "I never thought you to be the philosophical type Lina, I'm honestly surprised."

"Yeah well, it's not something I'm real big on, but it has it's purposes." The sorcery genius replied off handedly while re-securing her book of spell concepts with various custom security and protection incantations before sliding it back into a travel pouch and standing once more. "Anyway, I highly doubt you left camp specifically to check on my progress with 'finding myself'… so what did you want to ask me Zelgadis?" She added pointedly while placing a hand on her hip.

The mystical swordsman couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Alright, I was wondering what you were up to; as observant as you are you **have** to have noticed that the elf never came back after leaving dinner, and she isn't with us now…"

"You guys mine as well come out and listen to this too." Lina called to the other party members hiding and eavesdropping in the surrounding shrubs. "I sent Kat on a reconnaissance mission to try and gain some more information about the situation with the clones while we go and talk to Fillia."

(S) "But Miss Lina, didn't you say that it was too risky for us to split up right now?" The raven haired girl asked while unsteadily making her way out of the brush.

"Yeah I did, but she said she wanted to do it." The redhead replied with a shrug.

(Z) _But when did they get the time to discuss - - _"Oh I get it, you two planned this ahead of time." The chimera mistakenly deducted. "I've always known that you're quite the tactician Lina, but this is elaborate even for you."

Lina raised a single crimson colored eyebrow at this but remained silent.

(G) "Hum, what's he talking about Lina?"

(A) "What do you mean by that Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked while picking some leaves out of her hair.

"Isn't it obvious? She used all the chaotic events today to set up for Katibree slipping away unnoticed incase we were being monitored."

(G) "How would making noise make it easier to sneak away?" The swordsman savant asked.

"Well, if anyone was searching the area for us, the antics from earlier today would have drawn their immediate attention; and if they'd happened to have been listening in on the meeting somehow… chances are they wouldn't think twice about the elf leaving to get the horses directly **after** Lina made the decision that it was too dangerous to split up."

(A) "I guess that makes sense… attacking Miss Katibree on her own at that point would be pretty pointless because the fight would just bring the rest of us and there's even more reinforcements now than the last time they ambushed, so they'd probably just ignore her because they were expecting her to return anyway…"

"Exactly."

"Good plan Miss Lina!"

_Sometimes I think you analyze things just a little __**too**__ much Zel… _Lina thought to herself with a little smirk. "Yeah close enough… anyway, if you don't mind I'll catch up with you guys a little bit later."

"-O-oh you're going off on your own again Miss Lina?" The princess asked in disappointment.

"Yeah, I've got some more things that I've been meaning to work on."

(S) "Well please don't wander too far Miss Lina…"

"Don't worry Sylphiel, I'm a big girl… I can take care of myself." The sorcery genius replied as she walked off with a little parting wave over the shoulder.

(A) _Is Miss Lina still mad at me about earlier tonight or something? _The princess worried to herself.

(S) "Don't you think Miss Lina's been acting rather strangely lately?" The raven haired girl asked with some concern.

(G) "I'm sure she's ok, it's probably just that time of the month again or something." The swordsman savant replied dismissively.

(Z) "A brilliant deduction as always Gourry, but I just watched her fire off the strongest spell in shamanism without any aide amplification wise, and that's not something that even **Lina** can do during 'that time of the month'." Zelgadis replied while still staring after the sorcery genius.

(S) "The Ra Tilt?"

(A) "She finally learned to cast it?!" Amelia blurted.

"Yeah, that's what she was just out here working on before you guys saw the flash of light and showed up… it had to have been hard work to finally learn to cast it after all this time; if I didn't know any better I'd say she's actually maturing and starting to take things seriously for once."

(A) "Wow if she keeps this whole maturing thing up, the next thing you know she'll start losing interest in fighting over food and hording money!" Amelia joked as she, Zelgadis, and Sylphiel made their way back to camp while laughing amongst themselves.

(G) _Lina's…maturing…? _The blonde warrior repeated to himself, the thought causing him to feel strangely unsettled.

Still further into the forest, Lina lounged on a large tree branch twirling a throwing dagger in between her fingers while staring off into the distance at nothing in particular. _Gods I'm not even the least bit tired, my mind's been running in circles. First Kat leaving, and then that whole crazy deal with Amelia coming on to me like that… Kat hasn't even been gone half a day yet, but after that whole incident with Amelia… I miss her even more… emotions are so **stupid** sometimes…_

_Before I could at least relax with magic, but after that interruption by everyone, I can't seem to focus on anything anymore - - _Her thoughts were suddenly cut off by the sound of a twig breaking nearby and she glanced down to scan the surrounding area. "…Oh, hey Gourry." She said while sliding the small dagger into one of her concealed pockets

"Hey…!" The swordsman savant called up somewhat unsurely. "Uh, you feel like some company?"

"Yeah, why not… it's not like I'm getting anything done anyway." The redhead replied lightly while jumping down from the tree. "What's up big guy?"

"Nothing much I guess… I was just wondering if… if you were feeling ok?"

"Yeah, I'm doing alright… I was just trying to come up with some new stuff for future fights." Lina explained while taking a seat at the bottom of the tree.

"Like what?" Gourry asked as he sat down beside her.

"Well for one thing, magical fusion."

"Magical fusion?"

"Yeah, I got sidetracked before I had a chance to really study or experiment with it back when we were dealing with the whole Valgaav / Darkstar crisis." The sorcery genius explained while stretching. "I mean, I know that unholy and holy magic fusion is pretty much only good for canceling other types of magic out; but I'm talking fusion of magic that aren't complete opposites." She continued while holding a hand up to the night sky and studying it silhouette. "I mean if I could figure out a way to fuse… say a Dragon Slave and a Ra Tilt… can you imagine how devastating the effect could be Gourry…? Gourry…?" She tried again after a moment of no response.

"Hum…? Oh sorry, I guess I spaced out again…" The blonde swordsman laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. "Did you ask me something Lina?"

"No… I guess I was asking someone else." The redhead replied with a quiet sigh.

"What? Someone else? But there's no one else here Lina… I think you've finally cracked up for good this time!" Gourry joked.

"**Who's** cracked up?!" Lina shot back while catching the swordsman savant in a headlock.

After a brief struggle, Gourry managed to slip his head out of the hold and pulled down an eyelid at the fiery redhead before running off.

"You take that back or I'll knock that jellyfish outta your cranium and teach ya the fear that is coherent **thought**!" The sorcery genius shouted while chasing after him.

"Gotta catch me first!" The swordsman savant teased while shoving aside bushes as he ran.

After romping through the forest a couple of minutes, the blonde warrior came upon a clearing and skid to a halt as he came to a large lake.

"Hey, what's up?" The redhead asked as she jogged up beside him before coming to a stop.

"What's that….?" Gourry asked while looking up at the sky in awe as countless streaks of light shot across the twinkling darkness.

"…I'd say shooting stars… but I've never seen so many at once so I'm not sure…" Lina replied in fascination.

The two watched the meteor shower for several moments before the blonde warrior was the first to break the silence. "Hey Lina…?" He asked while still staring up at the heavens.

"Yeah, Gourry?"

"……..Where…where do you see yourself in five years?"

Lina looked away from the light show to study the blonde warrior's profile at this. _That's the same thing that Sylphiel asked him earlier today... did he understand what she meant...? _"In five years…? I honestly couldn't tell you anymore Gourry… You've never been one to do anything but take things day by day, so why are you asking a question like that all of the sudden?" She asked, the image of the countless meteors shooting by in the heavens reflected in her ruby colored eyes.

"I-I don't know, I just feel like things have been changing lately- -" Gourry stammered while first reflexively looking at the redhead before hurriedly averting his eyes to avoid being pulled into the sorceress's nearly hypnotic gaze and inevitably losing what he was trying to say. "I mean we'll still be together right…?"

"…Come on Gourry, even you're not **that** dense; of course we'll always be friends!" The redhead replied while slapping him on the shoulder cheerfully. "I can't believe you'd even feel the need to ask that! Anyway, what do you say we head to camp eh, I think I might actually be able to get to sleep after that little run!" She added as the light show came to an end.

"Yeah… be with you in a few Lina!" The blonde warrior called crestfallenly as the young prodigy jogged off.

After the sorcery genius was well out of sight, the swordsman savant slowly produced a gold ring with intricate carvings on it from his pocket and looked at it. _Always be friends still huh Lina…? _He thought to himself with a sad little smile._ And here I thought the moment was perfect… _He continued to himself while slipping the band back into his pocket and kicking a stone into the lake in dejection. _I'm starting to wonder if the time will __**ever**__ be right…_

Meanwhile several hours later at a seedy joint in an undisclosed location, a group of unsavory men crowded around a table while drinking, jeering, and gambling in the early hours of the morning.

"So Jamel, you still doin' that gig you was bragin' about?" A bearded guy with a mohawk asked while throwing down some silver pieces on the table. "Raise ya five Vargas." He added with a ragged grin fit to frighten young children.

"Yeah it's a sweet deal too, all I gotta do is keep the supply coming and it's 50 silver a delivery." The young man with blue shoulder length hair replied as he sat at the table while looking at his cards.

"_That's the weird guy that'll take anyone that no one will come looking for that you can mange to kidnap right?"_ Vargas, a shaggy haired blonde leaned in to ask in a conspiratorial tone.

"That's the guy." Jamel replied before taking a swig of mead.

"_Well, what the hell does he do with em' all…?_

"I don't know… the guy's some kind of scientist or whatever, I just get the goods and collect my payday no questions asked the way he likes it aight?" He answered while throwing more coin on the table. "Raise ya a gold Vargas…"

"Aight, aight - - **wait** a _**gold**_…?" The blonde bandit balked. "Eh fuck you guys, I fold… can't afford this shit!" The kid laughed.

"What's a matter Vargas, too rich for ya?" The thug with the mohawk chuckled while toasting with Jamel.

"Hell yeah an you can't afford it neither Keno so quit your frontin…" Vargas teased while standing and trying to peek at the older bandits cards.

"Ain't gotta be able to afford it if I got the winning hand." Keno replied while promptly wracking Vargas in the crotch with a backhand causing him to crumple to the floor in agony as the rest of the table roared with laughter.

Just then a barmaid walked up to the table and placed a fresh tankard of ale in front of Jamel. "Compliments of the lady in the back sir." The girl said while nodding in the direction of the buyer of the drink before hurrying off while the blue haired man craned his neck to scan the tenants of the establishment and soon enough picked out a woman in a fancy shawl sitting at a table in a well shadowed corner.

"It looks like a classy woman can just smell when a man is on the up and up." The blue haired ruffian boasted as he stood from the table with a smirk and adjusted his collar before heading over with his drink.

"A girl like that wants to talk ta you, yeah **right**." Keno scoffed after taking a shot of whiskey.

"Hey Jamel!" Vargas replied while picking himself up off the floor while still chuckling and nursing his sucker punched manhood. "When a bull drops a load in the pasture and someone goes over and sprinkles diamonds on it, what's it still smell like…?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Jamel laughed back, never bothering to turn around. _Just sit back and watch me work the magic boys._

Once Jamel got to the table he was able to get a closer look at the woman, she had flawless caramel colored skin and long flowing black hair only partially visible under her shawl. "It's not all that conventional for the lady to buy the drinks, but I'm all for equal opportunity."

"Well ah always did like a man with an open mind…" The woman replied in a velvety voice with a twinge of an accent that the young man liked but didn't recognize. The name's Shanteve, pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Shanteve eh? Likewise, the name's Jamel." The blue haired bandit replied surprisingly cordially while taking her black gloved hand and kissing it before taking a seat across from her. "So what's a classy lady like yourself doing in a dump like this?"

"Ah must admit that this isn't my idea of a perfect establishment in which to relax, but after years of traveling from town to town…. a girl tends to get used to accepting what the current area has to offer for… entertainment ah suppose you could say." The brown skinned woman replied, her red painted lips curling into a seductive little smirk.

"A gypsy huh?" Jamel mused with a hand on his chin.

"Well not in the traditional sense, Ah do wander and sell my wares… but Ahm a loner where as a true gypsy is family and clan oriented." The mysterious woman answered while slowly tracing a finger around the rim of her wine glass.

"Alright, so you're looking for a good time and you picked me to show it to ya then." The blue haired ruffian deducted with a smirk of his own.

"It seems as if A've hit the jackpot… It's a rarity to find one as handsome as you that has brains as well…" The gypsy replied while standing from the table in a fluid motion. "Why don't you say we get a little better acquainted upstairs." She added while leading Jamel in the direction of the stairs as his buddies jeered and cheered behind him.

"I hope you like it rough…" The blue haired bandit said once they were upstairs while pulling off his shirt with a grin as he heard the door being shut quietly behind him.

"Oh, Ah I love it as rough as you want it." Shanteve replied huskily as she walked up to him and placed a hand on either bare shoulder, a cat with the cream expression on her face. "But that doesn't mean that you're gonna like it…" She added, her lavender colored eyes flashing dangerously.

"…Wha - -?" Jamel tried to ask in confusion before the woman suddenly tightened her grip on his shoulders and held them down for more leverage as she delivered a vicious knee lift to the groin."

The mysterious woman backed up a few steps and watched with satisfaction as the thug's eyes widened in surprise and he dropped to the ground writhing in indescribable agony while clutching his crotch.

"Fuckin…bitch! Who… are… you…?" Jamel finally managed to wheeze.

"Now, now… should you really concern yourself with that?" The woman replied while removing both the shawl and the black wig she'd been wearing simultaneously, revealing two pointed and decidedly not caramel colored ears as she untied and shook out her mostly platinum colored mane, the previously restrained hair spilling down and around her shoulders and back. "You did say you wanted it rough… did you not?" She asked with a wry smile while unzipping her robes to reveal her assassin's outfit underneath.

"I guess it really doesn't matter anyway…" The blue haired bandit growled while picking himself up off the floor with the strain of the effort showing in he face." "Cause a dead **cunt** doesn't have a _**need**_ for a name!" He roared before charging her clumsily while brandishing a dagger.

Katibree merely shrugged with a smile before dropping down and off to the side at the last minute, using her feet to catch the man's own feet causing him to pitch forward and slam his face against the edge of a dresser and drop back down to the floor while wailing as he clutched his newly bloody mess of a nose."

"Broke my fugin nose you **bitch**!"

"It's too bad that you're posse downstairs can't hear all the fun we're having up here with all the noise they're making in celebration of your impromptu fuck, huh Casanova…?"

"You can **suck** my cock…" The man spat while scooting backwards slightly, still nursing his nose.

"Since the inevitable reference to your 'glorious meat' has been brought up, what do you say we make a deal?" The ex-assassin replied smoothly while flipping out a slicer as she approached him. "You answer the questions I want you to answer… and I'll let you keep it attached to the rest of you."

"You're… full of shit." Jamel replied before promptly being kicked square in the face and unceremoniously dragged over to a chair.

"I'm on quite the time constraint here 'Jamel', and that makes me a very busy girl…" The mostly platinum haired warrior explained while tying the partially conscious man's restraints. "Now we can do this the quick easy way, or I can go downstairs, butcher each and every one of your buddies down there, and **then** drag you off to someplace to do this real nice and slow with no one else saying a **Godsdamned** thing because you and your gang are piece of shit **burdens** on this society and they'd be more than **happy** to be rid of you." She continued matter of factly while crouching to talk to him at eye level.

The blue haired bandit spit blood in her face at this.

Katibree stood and calmly wiped her face with a malicious smile in response. "Now not only are you wasting my time Jamel…" She said while ripping off a piece of bed sheet and roughly gagging him with it before hovering her slicer over one of his bound hands. "You're testing my _**patience**_ as well!" She finished, chopping off his pinky finger with her emphasis on the word 'patience'.

The half drow then took a moment to wipe off her blade as the man screamed into his gag while staring in horror at his spurting stump of a finger. "I already told you Jamel, I can make this as rough as you want it, but that doesn't mean you're going to like it."

The half elf wiped the face paint off as the blue haired ruffian's screams died down to whimpers and then walked over and removed the gag while locking eyes with him expressionlessly. "I'm certain you've had a little time to think about my proposal now Jamel, and if I do say so myself I believe we've come to an understanding of sorts… have we not?" She asked with a fluid twirl of her newly gleaming slicer.

The man stifled a whimper and nodded vigorously at this.

"That's good Jamel, now **talk**."

"Wh-what do you want to know just tell me what you want to know!" Jamel fought through the pain to ask thinly while looking back into those deadly lavender orbs as if paralyzed.

"My guess is you were planning to have your fun with your unwitting, drifter gypsy with no attachments that nobody would notice missing, and then bag her up and haul her off to this scientist you've been working for lately… Does that sound about right my new brigand buddy?"

"B-but how… no I'd never - -" Was all the blue haired man managed to stammer before Katibree held up a pointer finger and waggled it back and forth with a knowing smirk.

"These ears of mine aren't just for show Jamel, they hear things you wouldn't believe… but my anatomy aside, the next lie that leaves your lips is going to attract that good ol' gag from earlier while you inexplicably lose another appendage… so choose your next words wisely." The mostly platinum haired warrior advised in a light tone reserved for talking about things like the weather or plans for dinner.

The brigand swallowed dryly as his eyes drifted first to Murakami, then to his stump of a finger, before following the now slowing dribble of blood still pooling on the floor and finally rising his eyes back up to reluctantly meet with Katibree's once more.

"Yeah… that was the plan." He finally admitted, reflexively blinking an eye as a particularly fat bead of the sweat now covering his forehead rolled down into it.

"Are you sure he's a scientist?"

"Y-yeah… I'm pretty sure… h-he normally wears a lab coat and calls the product 'specimens'."

"You mean the **victims**." The half elf clarified while narrowing her lavender colored eyes slightly.

"Yeah, victims whatever you say!" The bandit agreed hurriedly.

"Where is he located?"

"I don't have a clue about any of that lady…"

Katibree stared at him a long time in silence at this.

"I-I'm serious here, I'm not fuckin' wit you or anything, I really don't know where he takes the prod – er victims honest!" Jamel finally blurted while still having the dignity left to at least struggle to retain control of his bowels.

"What does he do with the victims, why does he need so many?"

"I don't know, he doesn't tell me none of that… I just deliver and he pays me…"

The half drow stood abruptly at this and snatched up the gag as Jamel began to plead until the whining was cut off by the gag being jammed in his mouth and roughly tied once again.

"You're **pissing** me off Jamel, what **idiot** does a job for someone without doing at least some type of research or looking into the person requesting their skills in some way, shape, or form…?" She growled before leaning over and slicing off another finger and taking the time to watch the brigand scream into the gag until he'd quieted down again. "Now **stop** _**wasting**_ my **time** and tell me what the **fuck** I want to know, or I'm **skipping** the wriggling things on your hands and going **straight** for the one between your _**legs**_." She added while bringing Murakami down in a lightening fast chopping motion and sticking it in the chair so close to the bandit's manhood that it actually cut trough his pants.

"Mffay! Mffay! Afl fel fu efrinfin af fo!" He whimpered through the gag as the check on his bladder was promptly forgotten and a dark spot began to form and grow on the front of his newly ventilated pants.

"I'm sorry Jamel, I couldn't hear you over the sound of you pissing yourself." Katibree said while loosening the gag and snatching it off. "Would you mind repeating that please?"

"I said, I'll tell you everything… I know…" The blue haired ruffian repeated in between stifled broken sobs. "Just don't cut my shit off ok…?" He added miserably.

"I'm listening." The ex-assassin replied coolly while leaning over the blue haired man once again.

"Ok, ok… like I said before I don't know where his lab or whatever is… but I'm due to meet up with him in a few days." Jamel explained as quickly as he could. "He doesn't care what victims I can find for him or what condition they're in as long as they're… alive… he… he specified that. He normally requests like 10 a month, sometimes less or more…"

"Where are you meeting him?"

"In the abandoned mill on the Westside of town at midnight sharp… if I'm even a minute late he leaves right away so you could probably tail him that way if you want or deal with him or whatever…"

"What's his name?"

"He goes by professor 'Miracle' but that ain't his real name I'm sure..."

"How do you get in touch with him?"

"He leaves these instructions under an old poster of one of those illegal topless joints in the pisser at this place… I don't know anymore I swear…!"

"I see…" The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while standing upright slowly.

"So you'll let me go now right…?" Jamel asked / whined.

"Let you go?" The half drow asked. "A girl like myself has to have principles, Jamel."

"Principles?" The brigand asked fearfully.

"That's right, like your principles for instance include kidnapping innocent people and handing them over to a lunatic with no questions asked to fill your pockets." Katibree explained while taking a seat on the bed, drawing and giving Chiba a flip in the air before catching it again. "And the reason you do this is because it's easy pickings and you're too much of a limp dick to provide your employer with seasoned criminals instead… and that's because… if word of that got around… your 'boys' would slit your throat in your sleep."

The ex-assassin stood with a sigh and looked long and hard at the cowering brigand at this. "Do you think that maybe Professor Miracle does something like this with his 'specimens' maybe? He sure does go through allot of them…" She mused while tapping her blade against her chin thoughtfully.

"I don't know…" Jamel whispered with his head down.

"That was more of a rhetorical question my brigand friend… but it's not like you'd have stopped if you'd known, 50 silver a pop is damn good money." The half drow replied quietly. "Which leads me to **my** principles."

The blue haired thug looked up, his eyes widening in newly realized horror at this statement.

"One of those being the overwhelming urge to permanently remove just **one** more shit stain from the world's underwear whenever I possibly can."

Author's Notes:

this chapter's a little darker than usual... kinda showing Katibree falling back into her old habits to get done what needs to be done and maybe going a 'tiny bit' overboard. call it foreshadowing if you'd like. either way, hope you all enjoyed it, more to come soon.


	64. Chapter 64

**A New Sky**

Two days later, Lina and company came to the coordinates that Fillia had provided and looked around in silence a long moment before anyone spoke.

This particular area of the Kataart Mountains flattened out into a plateau before sloping sharply in the center and forming a wide open area resembling a canyon which the gang was currently standing within the outskirts of.

(A) "Uhm Miss Lina… are you sure this is where the coordinates that Miss Fillia sent leads to…?" Amelia asked slowly.

"Of course I am." The redhead replied while stifling a shiver with her arms pressed to her body underneath the wool cloak she was wearing as she scanned the area critically with her ruby colored gaze.

"But… I don't see anything here…" The cerulean girl said almost forlornly.

(G) "I could've told you that **before** we climbed all the way down here." Gourry said with a sweat-drop.

(S) "Why would Miss Fillia give us directions to the middle of nowhere?" Sylphiel asked as a steam vent spurted several yards away from deep beneath the snow covered rock.

(Z) "Regardless of the reason, that was definitely her handwriting in the letter." Zelgadis replied as he scanned the tops of the canyon area suspiciously with a unconscious hand on the hilt of his sword.

(L) "**This** is the place; you **all** saw the coordinates yourselves…" The sorcery genius turned to reiterate before trailing off as she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.

(Z) "What is it Lina?" The chimera asked.

The sorceress merely squinted wordlessly at the place she thought she'd seen something and began to slowly walk toward the area with a hand outstretched.

(S) "Did you see something Miss Lina?" The raven girl asked while huddling under her own cloak.

"Yeah… I think so…" Lina finally replied as she finally stopped and studied the air in the area until it wavered slightly. "Now I **know** so." She added with a smirk while touching the area with a pointer finger and watching the air ripple when she pulled it away.

(Z) "…A huge cloak of concealment spell?" The mystical swordsman asked in surprise.

"You got it Zel, but it's the barrier** underneath** that's the problem." The redhead answered wryly.

(S) "Who or what would have the power to maintain something like this for even a few minutes?" Sylphiel asked in wonderment as she walked up to touch it as well.

(G) "A barrier…?" Gourry asked while scratching his head. "Oh, you mean like what you guys put up to block attacks and stuff?"

(A) "That's right Mr. Gourry… but a whole lot bigger than anything any of us have **ever** casted." The princess replied while squinting as well to try and get a better idea of just how big the barrier actually was.

(Z) "Ok, well standing here and gawking at it isn't going to do any good… If Fillia's somewhere in there, how are we supposed to come up with the firepower it takes to get to her Lina?" Zelgadis asked with a hand on his hip.

"Zel, you can say I have a short fuse and even give me a hard time about me maybe being a little short in stature… But one thing I'm **never** short on is **firepower**." The fiery redhead replied with a trademark Lina Inverse wink.

The chimera couldn't help but chuckle at this before sobering. "If you're talking about a Dragon Slave, even if it did work…. Which I doubt it would, wouldn't that pretty much defeat the purpose?"

"I don't think a Dragon Slave would work either… and like you said, it **would** defeat the purpose… I'm trying to get to Fillia to speak with her, not fry her alive." Lina replied while cracking her knuckles.

"What did you have in mind?"

"You remember the multiple barriers that the ancient and golden dragons had in place around the last weapon of light a few years ago during that Dark Star mess?"

"Oh yeah…" The mystical swordsman mused with a hand on his chin. "But with a barrier this massive, a slice from your Ragna Blade would most likely close up before we could utilize it.

"I could see that." Lina agreed "…What would you say is the most likely way that this barrier is being maintained?" She asked after a moment of thought.

"The most likely…?' Zelgadis repeated while folding his arms. "A group effort probably, several mages around a magic circle collaborating on it to keep the spell going. If someone or something is around powerful enough to do this on it's own, I doubt it would need to hide."

"This would mean that there would be a focal point that all the magical energy is converging at." The redhead deducted.

"Right, which in that scenario would be at the top center of the barrier." The chimera added off handedly while doing some calculations in his head. "……..You're looking to disrupt and short out the barrier with your Ragna Blade by attacking the focal point that all the mages are using to sync huh?"

The sorcery genius gave him a strange little smile at this. "Thanks Zel, I needed that."

"Needed what?" The mystical swordsman asked in confusion.

"Hey guys, do me a favor and start following the edges of the barrier with your hands would ya?" Lina asked the rest of the gang before casting a levitation spell, effectively ignoring his question.

(S) "You got it Miss Lina!"

(A) "You can count on us!"

(G) "Aye aye Captain!"

"Just spread out around it so we can get a better idea of the size of it!" Lina elaborated before turning her ruby colored gaze back to the chimera as she hovered. "You care ta come get some fresh air with me?" She added with a grin.

"… Wouldn't miss it for the world." Zelgadis finally joked back with a little shrug before taking to the air as well, finally having decided to take the odd comment from before in stride as just another one of Lina's many eccentricities.

It took the two quite awhile to get to the top of the massive barrier which turned out to be several stories high, and they flew still several feet higher before stopping to hover and monitor the progress of the trio beneath them.

Down below the girls had decided to leave Gourry where he was to use him as a marker so they could follow the circumference of the barrier around in opposite directions until they were as close as they could gauge from being directly across from one another.

(Z) "So what do you think we'll find inside Lina?" The mystical swordsman asked.

"At this point, I'm honestly not sure what to think Zel." Lina admitted. "If Fillia was expecting me, you'd think she'd come up with some other type of welcome mat."

"Well she did basically summons you for lack of a better word, maybe this is another one of her little tests…?" The chimera offered.

"Maybe, but this is all pretty elaborate; and you'd think that by now she knows what I'm capable of." The sorcery genius replied with a shrug. "Either way, that type of barrier is meant to keep things out, not in; so that leads me to believe that she isn't being held against her will in there at least."

"I'm inclined to believe that as well, but we have to get inside to be absolutely sure."

"Exactly."

Just then the shrine maiden duo shouted and waved from their respective positions around the barrier signaling that they were in place.

(L) "Whatever's in there could easily be the size of a pretty big castle it looks like." Lina said with a little whistle. "Focal point Zel?" She added while returning Amelia's continued waving with a little wave of her own just to appease the younger sorceress.

"Already on it." Zelgadis replied while producing a couple of tools that he always carried with him to take a few quick scaled down measurements of the deceptively transparent dome.

A few minutes later the mystical swordsman grunted in approval. "Alright follow me."

After the two made it to the center of the barrier Zelgadis pointed straight down. "Using the traditional circle formation to boost a spell would send all the energy to the middle, and it would radiate upward collectively syncing at the focal point there before being dispersed outward to form the barrier, so that's where you'll need to attack."

"Piece of cake, I just need you to give me a hand for a sec."

"What do you mean?"

"Hey I may be Lina Inverse, but even **I** can't maintain a levitation spell and chant the Ragna Blade at the same time."

"Oh… uh, right." The chimera replied while floating closer to the redhead unsurely.

"Just hold me by the waist, I need room to move my arms with this one… I could swear the sword gets bigger every time I cast the spell." _"Lords of darkness of the 3 worlds, the unholy covenant rekindled, grant me all the power you possess."_ She casted quietly to invoke her talismans.

"Uhm…" Zelgadis faltered after he was behind the sorceress, unsure of where the safest spot on her lithe waist would be to place his hands.

"Come on already Zel, it's freezing up here!" Lina griped with a roll of her eyes. "How are ya ever gonna put the moves on your little princess if you get all flustered about doing something as simple as this…?" She added in exasperation while reaching back and slapping the chimera's hands firmly around her waist as he proceeded to turn beat red.

_W-when did Lina get a figure…?_ The mystical swordsman thought in surprise at the unexpectedly feminine feel of the sorceress's body through the fabric of her mage outfit. "L-like you know anything about that anyway." He finally managed to retort.

"I know enough to know that you're an absolute wreck around girls." The sorceress teased.

"Am **not**." Zelgadis argued indignantly.

"You are when they're a girl you like." Lina replied with a knowing grin and lowered eyelids.

"…Now **look**, put a cork in it unless you care to be dropped mid incantation!" The chimera replied in embarrassment.

"Just let me go on 'Power that can smash even the souls of the gods' ok?" The redhead replied while stifling a giggle.

"Fine, let's just hurry up and get this over with…" The chimera conceded with a grumble while holding the redhead out a bit further away from himself with a returning blush.

"Lord of dreams that terrify, sword of cold and darkness…" The sorcery genius began while still grinning. "Free yourself from the heavens bonds. Become one with my power, one body, and let us walk the path of destruction **together**!" She continued, growing serious and adding an authoritative pitch to her words. "**Power** that can smash even the souls of the _**gods**_…!" She exclaimed as she was released by Zelgadis and went whizzing down toward the center of the barrier head first, bolts of black and golden energy crackling between her closed fists as the huge 2 handed energy sword of chaos continued to form. "**Ragnaaaa**… _**Blade**_!"

(Z) "Oh crap." The mystical swordsman said as he remembered something just before Lina connected with the barrier. "Once the focal point is disrupted, all that channeled energy…

(L) …_is going to need somewhere to go… _Lina realized as well just as the Ragna Blade first clashed with and then finally pierced the barrier. _Whoops._

The resulting explosive release of magical energy sent the five party members hurtling in all directions, jettisoning them to various locations of the mountain range.

(L) "_**Hawh**_!" The sorcery genius exclaimed as she was unceremoniously propelled headfirst into a snow bank from much further up than she ever cared to be freefall wise. _Gods I couldn't even slow myself down with a Ray Wing, if it hadn't been for that Wind Barrier I casted right before impact… _She thought while clawing her way back to the surface and spitting out a mouthful of snow. _I might have bit it for good… _"Well that definitely gave me a new healthy respect for darts, who the hell wants to do **that** for a living…?" She added while standing and attempting to jiggle the invasive snow out of her sorceress's attire before faltering and looking up with an reflexive squeak at an approaching rumbling that was rapidly increasing in intensity and volume.

(G) "Mmmmrph mmmmph!" Gourry exclaimed before finally managing to yank his head out of the snow over a mile away from Lina's landing area. "Man, what happened…? Where is everybody - -?" Was all the swordsman savant managed before a certain rumbling noise caught his attention as well and he looked in the direction it was coming from inquisitively.

(S) "Uhmmm…" Sylphiel moaned quietly with the back of a hand to her forehead while dropping her own barrier spell and slowly standing in the trench that it had dug where she'd gone sliding across the terrain with in the protection spells bubble. "Where… where **am** I…?" She asked disorientedly before an approaching rumbling caught her fuzzy attention.

(Z) "Da…**mu**……….. _**Bras**_!" Zelgadis casted, blasting several feet of snow off of him with a fiery burst. "**Damn** it, I can't believe I overlooked something that **important**!" He growled to himself while brushing off his gear after climbing out of his self created snow cave. "The stupidity has to be rubbing off or something - -" The rest of the chimera's complaining was interrupted by the sound of what he found decidedly more disconcerting.

(A) "That was **scary**…!" Amelia whined while hanging out of a snow bank with swirls in her pupils. "For some reason I don't think that Miss Lina and Mr. Zelgadis thought that all the way through…" She added while dislodging herself from the mound of snow and promptly losing her balance, slipping down it butt first and crashing at the bottom. "What's that noise anyway…?" The princess wondered while nursing her abused posterior as she looked up in the direction of the rumbling. "It almost sounds like an…"

(All) "_**AVALANCHE**_!!" The gang shouted simultaneously from their respective positions around the mountain range, their haggard voices echoing comedicly.

Forty-five minutes later…

Lina slowly opened her eyes and saw a blurry face hovering above her. She blinked them a few times and they slowly focused to make out a woman with blue eyes, blonde hair and a very familiar looking headdress... "Oh… heya Fillia!" She said cheerfully while sitting up in bed.

"Lina **Inverse**, is that all you have to say for yourself after the **stunt** you just pulled?!" The golden dragon priestess exclaimed crossly.

"Uh, stunt… you mean the deal with the cloaked barrier?"

"What **else** would I be talking about; do you have any **clue** where you are??"

"No… that was going to be my next question actually…" Lina laughed while rubbing the back of her neck.

"You are currently at a special temple in a secret location where priestesses come to meditate and practice to further their studies and eventually become High Priestesses!"

"Alright already, just calm down would ya Fillia?" The redhead said while stifling a giggle. "Your temper's as bad as ever…"

"I have a good reason to be angry, do you realize that thanks to you this holy temple is half buried in snow from that avalanche!?"

"What's a little snow… it'll… melt eventually right…?"

The blonde haired girl merely glared at her at this.

"Oh come on Fillia, how was I supposed to know there was some sacred temple or whatever under the barrier?" Lina tried again. "All I knew was that this was the place that the coordinates led to and I just figured the cloaked barrier was another one of your weird tests or something…"

"Oh I can't believe you; you're as irresponsible as **ever**!"

"Look, if you were expecting me anyway why didn't you just come out and invite me in? What was the deal with that stupid barrier anyway if it wasn't a test?" The redhead replied while standing with a stretch and a sigh.

"…I didn't see you guys arrive because I was with the rest of the temple witnessing a transition to high priestess ceremony." The golden dragon priestess managed to calm down enough to explain. "When such high concentrations of followers of Cepheid gather, the cloaked barrier is just an extra precaution taken during this time..." Fillia finished while rubbing a temple.

"Eh heh, did you say… followers of Cepheid?" The sorcery genius replied with a sweat-drop while beginning to look a bit blue in the face. _Luna's going to kill me…!_

"Well tell Luna… I can get rid of the snow easy if it's really that big of a deal…" She tried while waving her hand dismissively.

"Miss Luna isn't here and I'm sure the local priestesses would agree that you've done… quite more than enough already Miss Lina…" The golden dragon said.

_Oh thank the gods…! _"Fine, fine, forget I even mentioned it." Lina replied while looking over at a window currently eclipsed by snow. "Anyway, where are the others?"

"A group was sent out to investigate the cause of the disturbances after the avalanche and we found you, Mr. Gourry, Mr. Zelgadis, Miss Amelia and a girl I didn't recognize in different locations around the surrounding area, you being the furthest away…did we get everyone?"

"You wouldn't recognize Sylphiel because you two have never had a chance to meet until now; and yeah… that's everyone that came here with me." The redhead affirmed with a slight rustle of her crimson colored mane.

"I see, well princess Amelia and Miss… Sylphiel are here, but Mr. Gourry and Zelgadis were transported to a different location near by; no men are allowed here."

"What…why?"

"This is a sacred temple where shrine maidens study their trade Miss Lina, in order to complete the training there must be no distractions so that the priestesses can concentrate on staying pure of soul, mind, and body."

"Staying pure of soul, mind, and body… what the heck does that have ta do with men not being allowed - - Oooooh… hah-huh, I get it… they're being kept isolated so there's no chance of them fornicat - -"

"Miss _**Lina**_!" Fillia hissed in mortification.

"What, **tell** me I didn't hit the nail right on the **head**!" The sorceress laughed. "But seriously Fillia, the guys are harmless; Zelgadis is too self conscious to try anything with **anyone,** and even if Gourry **were** to get it into his head to try something….. I doubt he'd be smart enough to even figure out where to stick it in honestly..."

"…Miss Lina, why don't we just drop the subject where it stands and leave it at the fact that rules are rules?" Fillia finally replied quietly with a blush.

"Have it your way." The redhead agreed with a flip of her hair followed by a little shrug. "So what's this 'sensitive matter' that you called me all the way out here to discuss anyway?"

"Well, it's about a prophesy that was brought to my attention that I believe may concern you."

"A prophesy…" Lina mused with her arms folded. "Is this by chance the same prophesy that my sister mentioned to me several months ago?"

"Miss Luna has already informed you about it?" The golden dragon asked in genuine surprise.

"Kinda… she really only mentioned it existed, but she couldn't divulge anymore details at that time." The sorceress replied slowly. "She seemed allot more high-strung than usual too, almost to the point of being paranoid now that I think back about it."

"I suppose that would make a great deal of sense actually." The dragon priestess replied quietly while pouring a cup of tea. "Because of her position as the representative of The Flare Dragon Cepheid she's expected to adhere to a strict set of rules and codes, one of those being to only discuss confidential matters like this with other high ranking members of the temple of Cepheid such as elders and the like."

"Alright, so who brought the prophesy to your attention then?"

"Miss Luna." Fillia answered simply.

"W-when did you become a follower of Cepheid?" Lina balked. "What, you figured one Dragon god is as good as another to worship..?"

The golden dragon priestess giggled at this. "No Miss Lina, don't be silly! I am an outside source that Miss Luna is authorized to consult in detail with as I've been entrusted to help decipher past foretellings, one of the few exceptions to the rule."

"Well that means you're bound to the same code as Luna is then right?"

"That's just the thing; regardless of what you believe, your sister does worry about you and because of that it seems she's found a loophole for your benefit." Fillia said as a smile came to her face the more and more the Cepheid Knight's unspoken plan dawned on her.

"Loophole?"

"That's right." The blonde girl replied before taking a sip of tea. "With me being a freelance outside source, I'm held to a considerably less strict code…"

"So… you're saying that Luna came to you with this prophesy knowing that we were old comrades… and left you with the information predicting that you'd contact and warn me as soon as you could…?" Lina deducted in disbelief.

"It seems you aren't the only natural born tactician in the family after all Miss Lina." The golden dragon priestess affirmed wryly. "Tea?" She added while holding out the kettle cheerfully.

Meanwhile in another location…

Katibree was training vigorously, straining to keep herself levitating several feet off the ground for what was close to a good 20 minutes as she went through her typical blade wielding routine that she'd already started earlier this morning. She had long since stripped down to wearing only her chest wraps, a rare luxury now that Lina usually insisted that she didn't don them, and her black pants, which where unfastened and hung loosely around her hips for the sake of further ventilation.

The half drow had made significant progress, but any extended use of her improved innate levitation ability was still extremely taxing and as she swung Murakami, her concentration slipped causing her to drop in altitude sporadically before catching herself once more.

_Come on, just 10 more __**minutes**__…_She urged herself with a determined furrow in her brow.

Suddenly the ex-assassin sensed something and charged a blade, twisting her body and flinging it in the direction of the presence with a lightening fast motion.

(X) "**My**, you're as perceptive as **ever** it seems Katibree!" Xellos said cheerfully while materializing directly underneath the still glowing slicer now embedded in the tree behind him. "And it certainly seems that your gifts are developing nicely as well!"

The mostly platinum haired warrior narrowed her lavender colored eyes at this before relinquishing her concentration and dropping the rest of the way to the ground, landing in a crouch. "What do you **want**, Xellos." She stated more than asked.

"Come now, there's no need to go directly to that tone my blue skinned friend!" The mysterious priest replied with a smile as he waved a pointer finger with his eyes closed. "I mean you no harm you see, I've merely come to make a proposition." He added while walking over and helping himself to the convenience of the campfire, preparing himself some tea.

"If you only came to make a proposition, why have you been shadowing me at a distance since I've been on the road alone?" Katibree asked dryly from her still crouched position several yards away from the Mazoku.

"How terribly embarrassing!" Xellos said with a cackle. "Would you believe me if I said I'd become smitten with your beauty?" He tried while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Surely you jest." The half elf deadpanned.

"Very well, while **that** may not be the case, you still are a very interesting young woman Miss Katibree, and half dark elf at that." The mysterious priest explained with a grin. "For a Mazoku like me that specializes in mortal psychology, it's simply not in me to pass up an opportunity to observe what makes you 'tick'." _It would seem that she's found a way to detect me even in my improved cloaked form as well… The question is, is this something she's trained herself to do consciously, or does this mean that she's becoming more connected with the astral plane itself…?_

The half drow scoffed and stood slowly at this. "I seriously doubt that Zellas sent you out in the field to conduct a scientific study on half drow psychology."

"Oh we Mazoku have always been interested in human nature, particularly the darker side of it." Xellos replied while opening a violet colored eye slightly to peer over at a bag containing the head of a certain unfortunate brigand by the name of Jamel. "I did notice that your astral body has been accumulating a few new… dark spots as you've been traveling alone." He continued as Katibree glared at him silently. "I would suspect that one of those more pronounced stains is from your run in with that Jamel fellow, but don't you think taking a trophy was a bit mu - -"

"Is there a point to any of this; if you know this much already then you **also** know there's a price on his head." The mostly platinum haired warrior interjected impatiently. "Look, if your 'proposal' has anything to do with me joining the monster race, you can save your breath or whatever it is that you Mazoku use to speak in the material realm."

"No, no, not at all… your devotion to Lina is quite literally… '**painfully** apparent' at this point; just being within the general vicinity of you two at times is nearly unbearable." Xellos replied with a sweat-drop while holding out his hands in a warding gesture. "We wouldn't even considering making you that offer as Lord Beast Master prefers not to waste time on something that's pointless." _Pointless at least in your current state…_He added silently.

"And just what makes you think that this 'other' proposal of yours will be accepted?"

"Why, because accepting it will help both you and Lina achieve your goals of course."

_What is he up to…? _"…Just spill it Xellos." Katibree said with a sigh.

"You see, I wish for you to meet with someone I've found that has the information you require to get the proverbial ball rolling."

"As in finding… Soshurn's operation and shutting it down…?" The ex-assassin asked suspiciously.

"Correct."

"And why would you want to do that? How do I know you're not working with him and setting up some type of elaborate trap?"

"Come now my fair half elven friend, even us Mazoku have rules that need to be followed." The mysterious priest replied while pouring himself another cup of tea as he levitated by the campfire leisurely. "Just stop and think about it, if monster cloning was an accepted means of gaining power, every major Mazoku would be doing it and the world would be overrun and destroyed because of the massive disruption in balance."

"Isn't that the monster races' ultimate objective anyway?"

"Your fiery significant other has taught you well, and that is indeed the case; but not by such means that would disgrace us and cheapen the victory." Xellos answered cheerfully.

"If that's the case, then why don't you just stop him yourself?"

"Ahhh this is where things start to get tricky for me you see! Soshurn may be breaking the rules, but he's still a monster and there's always the chance that he may be working for another Mazoku general that has also lost sight of our true goal."

"So have Zellas deal with the general then."

"There in lays the root of the problem." The priest replied with a sigh. "Subsequently caused by Lina Inverse mind you." He added off handedly with a little cackle.

"And just how is dissention in your ranks Red's fault?" Katibree asked doubtfully.

"Fighting amongst high ranking monsters was fairly common and no problem at all not even five years ago actually. What's Lina's fault is the fact that we as a race simply can't afford to do it anymore." Xellos explained matter of factly.

"…And why's that?"

"Let's just say, your girlfriend has a knack for taking out high ranking Mazoku." Xellos replied, opening his eyes completely and looking at the half drow as he said it.

"That's right… Hell Master, Gaav, his subordinate Val Gaav, and even a fragment of Shabranigdo were either killed or ruined so that they can't return in the span of just a few years." The mostly platinum haired warrior mused. "Beings that have been around for several millennia gone in what is probably a blink of an eye to you monsters…"

The mysterious priest remained silent and drank his tea as he listened. _Huuum…this is always the problem when it comes to manipulating people as sharp as she is with bits of the truth I suppose, it seems that Lina's given her a much more in depth history lesson than I imagined and she's turning that into ammunition. Oh well, I suppose there's always the more obvious tactic to get her off track again…_

"This basically means that your chain of command has been depleted too quickly for you to recover, so you can't afford to step on any toes at this time and risk starting a battle that has the potential to pit general against general again." The ex-assassin deducted. "Am I getting warm Xellos?"

_The implied threat to a loved one tactic always seems to work well._ Xellos thought to himself before replying with a shrug."Yes, it's a wonder that Lord Beast Master hasn't given the order to eliminate her ye - -"

At this Katibree was suddenly in front of Xellos with Chiba glowing angry red mere inches from his throat.

"My, did I say something that offended you?" The mysterious priest asked lightly while watching with interest as his cup separated diagonally before sliding apart and falling to the forest floor with a clink and a splash of tea, having cleanly been cut in half.

"You offended me by insulting my **intelligence** with your races' self important **boasting**." The half drow replied coolly. "You just **gave** me the reason the official order hasn't been given to bring down the axe on Lina." She continued while calling Murakami to herself, causing the priest to wince involuntarily with discomfort. "You're afraid that you **can't**, because **if** you can't and you lose to her **again**… your deadlock with the gods is at an end in **their** favor."

_But when that loved one is Lina Inverse, and you're dealing with someone with a mindset like Katibree Do'Urden's… A bit more finesse tends to be required. _Xellos finished mentally as he slowly stood, his facial expression never changing from the pleasant one he normally wore.

Although the half elf's last words had managed to get under his skin more than he cared to admit, he simply produced a folded sheet of paper from a pocket with a smirk. "My, how unsightly to show such arrogance when I'm the only reason you'll be able to return to your dear Lina not empty handed. You **did** mention to your brigand friend Jamel that you were on quite the time constraint did you not, and here you were without a single lead before I showed up…" He continued while dangling the piece of paper in front of her. "And I know how much you'd hate to disappoint the love of your life. But I do wonder, what do you think that Lina would have felt if she'd had a chance to get a glimpse of your little relapse with Mr. Jamel my little half elven pawn?" He asked as Katibree snatched the paper out of his hand with a growl.

"Would she feel deep disappointment in her reformed little ex-assassin, or maybe a much more primitive emotion that I'm sure would tear you apart from the inside if you ever managed to invoke it in her… like **fear **perhaps? Either way, enjoy your fairytale while you can." He finished while fading away, his mocking laughter lingering even after he was no longer in sight.

Katibree stood there frozen, assaulted by a multitude of emotions struggling for control as the gleefully sinister laughter finally faded. Xellos's parting words pierced her like daggers through the heart and tasted like bile in the back of her throat. She dropped to her hands and knees as the effects of her rigorous training seemed to kick in all at once, leaving her completely exhausted and merely helplessly staring at the forest floor beneath her.

_Is…is Xellos right…? Am I reverting? Is it just a matter of time…?_ The half drow wondered to herself in growing distress while unsheathing Twinkle which had been strapped to her back._ And if so, how far will I revert…?_ She continued while staring at the sword._ Could I ever really get to the point where…Red is frightened of me or… _"Felt… she couldn't trust me…anymore…?" The ex-assassin finished audibly while clutching the hilt of Twinkle so hard her hand began to bleed.

_...Mother… Father…why…why did you __**leave**__ me? How am I supposed to know what to __**do**__? What is this sword really __**for**__…? I never cared about my destiny before or…what I wanted to do with my life…I…I never wanted guidance before…never needed it before… _She exclaimed mentally while choking back a sob.

_Couldn't you have at least let me know whether this blade will help me shape my chosen destiny…_ _"Or just… give me a little bit of borrowed time…?"_ She whispered while leaning back and looking up at the sky with tears pooling in her luminous eyes, Twinkle laid in her lap and Murakami and Chiba on the ground on either side of her. _I...I just don't want to be alone in the dark anymore. _The half elf finished forlornly before suddenly remembering something that made as if she were seeing the sky again for the first time.

Flashback...

(L) "Hey Kat…?" Lina asked while laying on her back in the grass with her head propped against a tree as she shucked a stalk of sugarcane.

"Yeah Red?" Katibree replied while leaning her back against the same tree with her hands clasped behind her head.

"Have you always traveled alone?" The redhead asked while looking over at the older girl.

"Well yes except for the few times that I was sent on collaborative missions with other guild mates." The half elf replied while watching a cloud drifting lazily by in the nearly clear sky.

"That's it?" The younger girl asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's it." The ex-assassin replied with a stretch.

"Didn't… you ever get lonely?" The sorcery genius asked while snapping a section of the sugarcane off and handing it to the older girl.

"Lonely…? Is that supposed to happen when you're used to not having company?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked while studying the piece of cane doubtfully.

Lina couldn't help but giggle at this response. "Well, I wouldn't know for sure… but I guess not." She replied while watching the half elf investigating the stalk in amusement. "Just try it, I did this all the time as a kid… it's good! Look, like this." She added while giving the proper instructions on how to partake of sugarcane.

Katibree studied the stalk a bit more before tentatively placing the stalk between her teeth on the side of her mouth like demonstrated. "Huh, it's actually sweet."

"Duh, it's **called** sugar cane…!" The sorceress teased while crossing her ruby colored eyes at the larger girl to make a comedic face.

The ex-assassin couldn't help but laugh quietly at this before reaching over and pulling down the smaller girl's trademark headband in retaliation. "….So you get lonely by yourself out on the road then…?"

"Yeah, all the time if there's no one with me… it really **sucks** too." The younger girl replied around the piece of cane between her teeth, never bothering to lift her headband back over her eyes surprisingly.

"Well, what do you do to cope then?" The mostly platinum haired warrior removed her own stalk of sugarcane from her teeth to ask.

"Oh, that's easy!" Lina replied while lifting a side of her headband up to reveal one of her ruby colored eyes with a grin before adjusting it back in it's proper place on her forehead. "You see the sky…?"

"Of course I do." Katibree replied with some confusion.

"Well, whenever I'm feeling lost or alone….I just look up and remember that all the people I care about are under the same sky as I am. That always seems to make everything at least a little bit better for me." The sorcery genius replied while placing her own hands behind her head with a content sigh.

"I really don't get the big pick-me-up there, but I'll take your word for it." The ex-assassin finally replied with a shrug before turning her attention once again back to the sky.

After several moments of staring up at the clouds later, Katibree spoke once more.

"Hey, Lina…?"

"Yeah, Kat?"

"Don't you think we should get headed back on the road to Zephilia soon?"

"Relax, we're ahead of schedule…"

"Red, we're nearly a month **behind** schedule." The half elf deadpanned.

"Ok… maybe we are, but there's no way for the Eternal Queen to know that." The sorcery genius countered while looking over with a dazzling smile while flashing a victory sign.

"…You're impossible."

"Yep, impossibly irresistible!"

"……………Just wake me up when you're done goofing off will you?" The mostly platinum haired warrior said while stifling a laugh before pulling her hood down over her eyes for a nap.

Fin Flashback

"Under the same sky huh…?" Katibree asked while blinking her tears away as she stood and continued to gaze up at the new sky. "I suppose everything does seem just a bit better now after all…" _Even if this all does just turn out to be a fairytale, Red…it'll be __**our**__ fairytale._

Back at the sacred temple in the Kataart mountains….

(F) "Miss Lina, are you still out here…?" Fillia asked as she opened the door to the roof of the temple.

"Yeah…" Lina replied as she gazed into the sky with a far off look in her eyes.

"Aren't you cold up here?" The golden dragon priestess inquired as she walked up beside the sorceress. "Miss Lina…?" She persisted upon receiving no further response from her. "Miss **Lina**." She tried again with a snap of her fingers, effectively jerking the redhead out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Fillia… I guess I kinda had my head in the clouds." The sorcery genius turned and finally replied with a laugh.

"Apparently so… anyway, Miss Amelia and Miss Sylphiel have already gone on ahead... but if I remember correctly, it was **you** complaining about the cold and begging for me to show you the natural underground hot springs."

"Oh yeah, I'll met you guys down there soon!" Lina replied sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck. "….Just give me a few more minutes ok?" She added more quietly before leaning her arms over the edge of the railing and turning her ruby colored gaze to the skies once more.

"….Suit yourself then Miss Lina..." The golden dragon priestess replied unsurely before turning to head back inside. _She's acting so strangely that I'd suggest she go back to the healing ward for another checkup but… I treated her personally, not to mention the fact that she was just fine up until a few minutes ago…Humph, and I thought her unpredictable mood swings were odd before…_

_Miss Luna did mention something about her seeming to be maturing in some way, I'm still not so sure._


	65. Chapter 65

65. The Informant

A day and a half later, Katibree left a patrol outpost and headed into a bustling town with a significantly stouter coin purse. Although professor 'Miracle' had turned out to be a no show, the payout for the gruesome souvenir that Jamel had provided was at least some compensation for the wasted effort of following a bogus lead.

_I don't like this at all, but Xellos did have a point…I'm running out of time. _The half drow thought to herself with a sigh. _After sifting through all the head game bullshit, the reasons that he gave for helping us out seem to be legitimate enough, but it still __**pisses**__ me off. _She griped to herself as she reflexively pulled up her white and cerulean accented hood while headed for the thick of a crowd in the middle of a festival, the designated meeting area for Xellos's chosen informant. _Playing right along with his plans and doing the monster races' dirty work for them while he sits back and laughs pulling the strings…! Urgh it's so __**humiliating**__ I could __**die,**__ and on top of that I __**know**__ there's got to be some other type of __**catch**__… _Just then she caught sight of a woman that fit the description she was given leaning against a post near one of the food stands. The woman appeared to be quite tall and was draped from head to toe in what seemed to be some type of traditional cultural garb in the colors of white and royal purple with gold trim. Only her cream colored face, a single lock of dark hair, and her ice blue eyes were visible.

(K) "When will all the pieces fall in place?" The ex-assassin asked as earlier instructed in the note.

"Quite soon in the great jigsaw of fate." The dark haired beauty replied dutifully.

"Alright, enough with the cryptic riddles… let's just get this over with." Katibree said while gesturing toward a table for them to sit at.

"That's just fine by me." The informant replied as she took a seat at the table with what could be seen of her long legs crossed.

"Ok, tell me what you know."

"Uh, uh, uhn that not the way I do things, I wasn't born yesterday you know." The woman chided while waggling a pointer finger. "If I gave you all the information now, there's no telling if you'll just leave without paying afterwards."

The half elf sighed deeply at this. "Look I don't have time for this, you're Xellos's informant are you not?"

"Xellos….? I've heard of no such person."

"You've never heard of - - then how did you know to meet me here and answer the secret question the way you did?"

"Oh, a nice priest I happened to meet on the road brought me here and said that if I waited long enough, someone would ask me that question and that the payout would be quite handsome." The striking woman replied casually.

The mostly platinum haired warrior was speechless. _A…nice priest._

"Now then, lets discuss my fee; my services don't come cheap."

"Wait a **minute**, you just agreed to go with a complete **stranger** because he said you'd make allot of money." The ex-assassin repeated in disbelief.

"Well naturally."

"If this I some sort of joke, I am **not** amused." Katibree said as she slowly stood to leave.

"You're looking for a place where experiments are carried out on demons correct…?" The informant asked coyly.

"You know of such a place?" The half drow stopped to asked from her half standing position.

"Of course I do." The woman affirmed curtly.

"………. Then why didn't you **say** that to begin **with**…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked in growing exasperation.

"You never asked." The dark hair beauty replied simply.

"Alright… well now I'm **asking**, what did you see?" Katibree reiterated with a roll of her lavender colored eyes.

"Well now we're getting somewhere; what I propose is, I tell you what I saw but not the location that I saw it **at**."

"What good is that going to do me?"

"It'll let you know that the information that I have is what you're looking for."

"Fair enough, and if what you know turns out to be the information I need….?" The half elf conceded while finally taking her seat once more.

"Then I'll lead you to it naturally, the terms are that you are to provide me with room and board along the way and a fee of 150 gold upon arrival at the destination."

"Room and board **and** a 150 gold payment at the end to seal the deal?" The ex-assassin asked doubtfully. _With a fee __**that**__ outrageous Xellos had to have filled her in at least some about my current situation… _"Before I agree to anything I need to know what you saw first, how did you happen upon whatever it is you saw to begin with?"

"Well I'm a traveling mage you see, and because of that I'm constantly scouting out new secluded places to work on my newer spells and experiments." The dark haired beauty explained while pushing the single exposed lock of hair back and behind an ear. "I noticed traffic going in and out of a cave one day that should have been deserted, and I went to check it out."

"And what did you see?"

"Something I shouldn't have I'm sure." The informant replied with a forced looking smile. "There were a great deal of large glass tubes and inside of them were… what looked like… souls… high density souls at various levels of development which really shouldn't be possible, I mean how would a living soul exist outside a body? Anyway the worst part was that all of them were horribly tainted, any human with a soul that black wouldn't even technically be human… And then as I was looking around, it gradually dawned on me as to exactly what it was I was looking at…" She explained while rubbing the side of her arm and averting her ice blue eyes uneasily.

"Mazoku in various stages of development."

The woman nodded wordlessly at this with a grim expression on her face.

"Did you see anyone working on or around the tubes?"

"No I didn't, but I didn't stay there very long either you understand… A group of odd looking people left, I snuck in and snuck back out."

"And you can definitely lead me back to this place?" The ex-assassin asked while leaning forward with interest despite herself. _This has got to be the place…_

"Without a doubt."

"How many days travel?"

"A couple of weeks if we hurry."

"You expect me to pay your room and board for 2 entire weeks **with** the 150 gold fee on top of that??" Katibree balked in disbelief.

"Humph, you did say you were on a 'time constraint' did you not?" The informant asked coyly?" I don't see where you have much choice in the matter, take it or leave it." She added while leaning forward expectantly.

"The half elf leaned back and folded her arms with a slight scowl at this. "**I** didn't say that, but I'm sure your 'nice priest' friend informed you of it quite gleefully." _She does have a point, but I don't have 2 weeks to work with… __**Damn, **__no matter how badly I'd love to __turn down this deal and spit in Xellos's face, it just wouldn't be logical at this point because there's just no telling if I'll find another lead in time. And even if I did I'd just be working harder to ultimately end up helping him anyway. Urgh, Lina's going to __**kill**__ me for agreeing to __**any**__ of this regardless…_ "Alright, but we add one more stipulation to the deal."

"Oh?"

"I can't go straight there because I need to report back to my group first, so the stipulation is, you come back with me to get them for no charge and once you're actually guiding us all back to this place, the room and board kicks in from there."

"Huuumm… buy me dinner and drinks tonight and I accept."

"……..You're… really pushing it lady." Katibree said with a growing stress-mark.

"So do we have a deal then?" The dark haired vixen asked while pulling back her cloak and flipping out her long dark hair before shaking it, causing it to loosen and cascade down and around her shoulder and back, nearly reaching the floor.

"I like to think of it more as… a rape at knife point."

The informant raised an eyebrow at this. "How so…?"

"I'm disgusted with the situation… but it's better than the alternative."

"You are… a very peculiar person Miss….?"

Katibree, Katibree Do'Urden. And may I know the name of my unwanted bed partner as well?"

The woman abruptly stood and placed her hands on her hips with a dazzling smile at this. "I am Naga, Naga the White Serpent, the most beautiful and most powerful rival of - -"

"Blah, blah, blah… the name was more than enough Miss Serpent, the only time I care to hear anyone's full title is if they're challenging me to a duel."

"…How terribly rude!" Naga huffed before remembering something and smiling once more. "Oh well I suppose I can forgive you…. So shall we get on with the rape at knife point then Miss Katibree?"

"I didn't think you'd take to the idea so easily." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied with an eyebrow of her own slightly raised.

"Well I'd say that in this case the knife point would be equal… to you being out of options you care for other than agreeing to my terms." Naga explained with a shrug.

"Well…. basically yes." The half drow agreed carefully.

"Then wouldn't that count as being consensual?" The ice sorceress asked while waving a finger.

"You're asking me if being held at knife point while being taken advantage of counts as consensual sex." Katibree deadpanned.

"Well, you could always struggle and be killed instead right?"

"Well yes, put self preservation has a tendency to kick in there."

"So in the name of self preservation which would be the success of your mission, you've complied completely and are offering no resistance to the person that has you at knife point which would be me…."

"And the sex equates to… you leading me to where I need to go for a fee…" The half elf finished for her in bemusment. _That's so twisted it almost makes sense…_

"Mum hum that's right!" The dark haired vixen agreed cheerfully.

"Well….wouldn't… that make you a prostitute of sorts then Miss Serpent?"

"Hum, I suppose that all depends on the way you look at it…" The dark haired beauty mused. "Either way the way I see things, if you're going to just lay back and take it without resisting… you mine as well try and enjoy it!"

Upon seeing the dumbfounded expression on the ex-assassin's face in response to that comment, Naga reared back her head and laughed…. "**Ooooooooh**, hooo, hooo, hooo, hooo, **ooooooooooh**, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo….!"

And on queue, tables and chairs all around were over turned and people began to scream and moan as they cleared the area that the hideous sound emanated from.

"Oh my… **gods**…!" Katibree exclaimed as she dropped to her knees while holding her sensitive ears. "Stop **laughing**, for the love of the Lord of Nightmares… stop _**laughing**_ if that's even what that sound **is**!" She added while wincing in agony as the shrill sound shreded through her eardrums.

The dark haired beauty complied at the half elf's protests and looked down at her with a grin. "On our knees are we? You're really getting into this whole consensual thing it seems! **Oooooooh**, hooo - -" She began to laugh again before Katibree's hand was suddenly clamped firmly over her mouth.

"Now **look** if you're a sorceress, chances are you like to **eat**; new rule, the more you **laugh** the less you eat for **free**, do you **understand**?" The half drow said before slowly removing it.

"…Fine… you don't have to get so cranky about it." The dark haired beauty replied with a chuckle. "Oh waiter, I'd like to order one of everything on your menu and 4 tankards of ale! Oh, did you want anything?" She added without skipping a beat.

"How thoughtful of you to offer to purchase me something with my own coin." The half elf deadpanned.

"Yes well it is always good to be generous wouldn't you say?"

Katibree sweat-dropped at this statement with lowered eyelids before finally responding "……… look let's just get this over with and get to an inn, we leave first thing tomorrow."

"Oh, you mean like noon?" The Naga asked as she received her first heaping plate of food and dug in wholeheartedly.

"No I was thinking more along the lines of **dawn** actually." The ex-assassin replied dryly while sitting down and leaning back in her chair as she watched the dark haired vixen eat with decidedly more manners than a certain redhead, but with no less enthusiasm.

"Hum… I guess it can't be helped." Naga said with a shrug before taking a bite of dinner roll and washing it down with several swallows of ale. "Here, you should try and relax some… it's no good being so intense all the time." She added while sliding a tankard across the table to the mostly platinum haired warrior with a smirk.

"Humph." Was Katibree's only reply before lifting the tankard to her lips for a swallow.

"I'm guessing from looking at you that you're half elf, but what type of elf is your elf half?" Naga inquired pleasantly while cutting herself a piece of veal.

"The none of your business type." The half drow murmured into her tankard with a roll of her lavender colored eyes.

"Oh come now, if we're going to be working together we mine as well try and get along don't you think?"

"I'll pass."

"You could get to like me if you tried I'm sure, everyone else does."

"Doubtful."

"Fine, have it your way but you can't say that I never tried to be civil." Naga replied somewhat defensively. "Another plate of the crab cakes please." She added to a passing waiter, feeling instantly better.

"And just how is taking advantage of someone when they're in need civil?"

"You know, it's extremely uncouth to bring up things from the past like that." The dark haired vixen replied hurriedly while dabbing at either corner of her mouth daintily.

"You're doing it right now…" The ex-assassin deadpanned while leaning forward.

"I offered to get you something didn't I?" The ice sorceress chirped.

"Yes… with…. my money…" The mostly platinum haired warrior answered in disbelief.

"Yes well, a girl as beautiful as myself can't be bothered with every small detail."

"And would you care to explain just how exactly the difference between **your** money and **my** money is a 'small detail'?" The half drow leaned even further forward to ask with a mixture of annoyance and bemusement.

"Why that's easy, it's only natural for friends to share, so why should money be any different?"

"**Fr**- When the **hell** did we ever become _**friends**_?!" Katibree balked with her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch. "We just met like **20** minutes ago!" _The __**gall**__ of this woman is __**insufferable**__!_

"Yes I do have a tendency to make friends quickly with my charismatic personality and unrivaled beauty..."

"…Ok let me **illuminate **because there's obviously been some type of misunderstanding here…., we are in no way, shape, or form **friends**!" The half elf clarified while making a loose repetitious cutting gesture across her throat with a stress-mark to further rebuff the idea.

"There's no need to raise your voice, now you're just being mean." Naga pouted.

"And you're being amazingly impossible!" _What is this chick's __**deal**__?_

"That's because _**everything**_ about Naga the White Serpent is always **amazing**! **Ooooooh** hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, **ooooooooooh** - -"

The half elf stood abruptly, bumping the table violently and startling the ice sorceress into temporary silence. "**That**… is… _**IT**_. Not a copper of food or drink **more**, let's **go**." She fumed as the people that had returned to the general area of the two continued to stare and murmur.

"Don't be ridiculous my half elven friend, there's still food left on the table."

Katibree swiped an arm across the table violently at this, knocking countless plates and other dishes along with their contents onto the floor while glaring at the ice sorceress. "Well now there **isn't** so let's **go** if you expect to be **paid** at the end of what's most likely going to be a complete and total **nightmare **of a journey." She added much more calmly than she felt.

"What a horrendous waste of food…" Naga said while looking down at the mess in dejection.

"**Now** Ms. Serpent." Katibree reiterated while tossing enough coin to pay for the food and damage to the dishes on the now bare table before turning to leave. "Regardless of how much sleep you manage to get tonight, we **still** leave at dawn."

"Humph fine, but you certainly didn't have to go about things so unpleasantly." Naga finally conceded in a hurt tone after giving the ruined food one last longing look before following the still seething half drow in the direction of the closest inn.

The next morning…

Naga awoke groggily to a insistent knocking on her inn room door, she'd stayed up until the early hours of the morning drinking and coming up with new golem concepts… and so turned over and promptly fell back asleep.

"Miss Serpent is nearly dawn, we need to get going." Katibree called through the door before groaning in annoyance at the unmistakable sound of bed sheets being slightly disturbed followed by the sound of soft renewed snoring. "Why me…?" She grumbled as she slid a lock pick out from underneath her tongue and quickly picked the lock with a sigh. As soon as the door was unlocked she forcefully swung it open and allowed it to bang against the wall behind it loudly, causing Naga to start awake and sit up in bed.

"It is customary to knock you know." The dark haired vixen said crossly while rubbing her eyes.

"What the **hell** do you think I've been do……….ing...." The ex-assassin trailed off stupidly. _Holy fucking titties. _She couldn't help but deadpan mentally._ This woman is going to start Red on her breast complex all over again… I just __**know**__ it. _She added to herself while gawking in disbelief.

"The least you could do is apologize for the intrusion instead of standing there gaping like some fish." The ice sorceress replied with a stretch.

"Would you please just put some clothing on…?" The half drow asked while hurriedly averting her eyes after realizing that she'd been blatantly staring.

"Hey, don't get cross with me when you're the one that came barging in." The dark haired vixen answered from the bed while covering her mouth and stifling a yawn.

"That was an accident - - well it was on purpose because you wouldn't answer the door… and you're still not making the slightest attempt to cover up Miss Serpent."

"Oh, is it making you uncomfortable?" Naga asked coyly while reaching for a brush. "That's quite strange because I seem to remember you taking quite the eyeful when you first came in."

"That was **shock**, believe me." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while still averting her eyes. "I didn't know that it was humanly **possible** for breasts to grow to that size… And besides if I **had** been staring out of admiration as you suggested, it wouldn't matter….I'm more involved in a relationship that you could **ever** possibly imagine."

The dark haired vixen stopped and cocked her head to the side slightly a moment before finally shrugging and resuming her grooming. "Well if we need to get on the road already I'll need to freshen up and - -"

"You've got six minutes or your would be free breakfast is forfeit starting now." Katibree interjected disinterestedly. "Meet you downstairs." She added before shutting the door on Naga's complaints and the sounds of the ice sorceress hurriedly getting ready.

Four and a half minutes later the dark haired vixen had made her way down the stairs and sat down at the table while giving the half elf a flustered look. "I hope you're **happy**, I didn't even have time to properly brush my **teeth**." She complained.

"I'm sure your mouth's still fairly sterilized from all the alcohol you consumed - -" Was all Katibree managed before she stopped talking all together and merely stared at the larger girl's new revealing leather outfit.

"Oh waiter, over here!" Naga called with a hand gesture before turning her attention back to the half elf once more. "Is something the matter?" She asked.

"…….. What in the **world** are you wearing?"

"Why my regular outfit of course, the getup from last night was merely what the note the nice priest gave to me instructed me to wear." The ice sorceress replied curtly before turning to the waiter that had just walked up and was now staring at her outfit as well. "I'd like one of these, and these, and two of these…" She began to list from the menu.

"What do you think we're about to do?" The half drow asked in bemusment. "We're traveling on the road…. Not… heading to some brothel…."

"A brothel…? Oh, no I'd never be involved in that type of business."

The waiter blinked a few times at this statement. "Yeh sure coulda fooled me lady…" He finally said.

(K) The mostly platinum haired warrior turned her attention to the man at this before lifting a single mostly platinum eyebrow. "Seeing as I don't see how our conversation is any of your business…shouldn't you concentrate on your job, like how I'd like my eggs scrambled with cheese with a medium rare steak on the side and a glass of orange juice?" She stated dryly.

"Y-yes madam, my apologies." The waiter replied before ducking his head and hurrying away while writing.

The dark haired beauty stared at the half elf with a smirk for a long time afterwards.

"**What**?" Katibree finally stop drinking her water to ask.

"Oooh, hoo, hoo…I'm thinking you may just be a little sweet on Naga the White Serpent after all." The ice sorceress teased.

"Hardly." The ex-assassin replied before turning her attention back to her water. "I haven't even known you an entire day yet, and you're already by **far** the most obnoxious person I've ever met Ms. Serpent."

"Well I suppose I shall take that as your version of a compliment." The dark haired beauty replied, not missing a beat.

"You would." The half drow said with a resigned sigh.

Author's notes: sorry about the wait people, man life has been crazy lately and i haven't had a chance to write in forever, but don't worry i've got another chapter that's longer and nearly finished on the way. will most likely be done and put out tonight or the following day. till then thanks for putting up with my slacking muse and take care!


	66. Chapter 66

66. New Revelations (hey I can't do that, it's the title of the Fic! wait, yes I can XD)

(L) "Alright Fillia, you said you wanted to talk in private while Amelia and Sylphiel were out visiting the guys…." Lina began while lounging on a bear throw rug in front of an elaborate fireplace that cast a warm flickering glow on the objects in the room. "And I've already watched some ceremonies with you to see the process of predicting prophesies like you insisted I do over the past couple of days so that hopefully I'll take this more seriously…" She continued while using a fire poker to tend the fire absently. "I mean we've even had the chance to catch up some which has been nice too, but don't you think it's time we finally got this whole 'big bad prophesy' deal outta the way?"

"Yes but you still aren't getting the importance of what's done here at all Miss Lina…" The dragon priestess groaned from the coach she was laying on.

"I'm not sure what exactly it is that you're wanting me to get Fillia, but me watching a bunch of priestess's pray all day and starve themselves while carrying out a bunch of rituals that hardly ever yield tangible results isn't going to impress me into 'getting it'… whatever '**it'** is."

"What I'm trying to get you to understand is the fact that this is what the priestess's that reside here specialize in, and if they've predicted something that you may possibly be- - "

"If that was the entire reason you brought me here, then this was a complete and total waste of time Fillia." The redhead interrupted while putting aside the poker before rolling over on her back and placing her hands behind her head.

"W-what do you… I thought…?" The golden dragon priestess stammered not sure what to think.

"Look, all I'm saying is that these shrine maidens may be highly trained servants of Cepheid; but that doesn't impress me." The sorcery genius said while sitting up to look at the blonde haired girl more directly. "These girls all seem nice enough, but what do I care what kind of rituals they do or what trials they put themselves through to try and get a little closer to their god?"

"But I thought if you could just see their dedication then…" Fillia began before trailing off with a perplexed expression on her face as the sorceress began to giggle while standing and headed over to the golden dragon.

"Fillia, I don't need to see a bunch of strangers following some musty old methods to believe you have a genuine concern for my well being." Lina said while stifling a laugh before becoming decidedly more somber as she took a seat on the ground in front of the dragon priestess while looking her directly in the eyes. "We've been through hell and back together so I may not always act like it; but I don't need any proof other than your judgment when it comes to matters like this."

"Miss… Lina…" Was all the golden dragon managed still at a loss for words.

"Anyway, on that note I have two favors to ask you." Lina continued with an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face.

"W-what's that?"

"For one, give those girl's downstairs something more tangible to work toward and help them become what they're truly meant to be; not anemic, reclusive shadows of their ancestors… but honest to goodness shrine maidens that are holy forces to be reckoned with like you are Fillia."

"You're talking about… true holy magic…?"

"The spells that have been lost to the human race for countless centuries." The sorcery genius affirmed quietly. "Don't you think it's time you leave your own legacy Fillia?" She added before turning around so that her back was against the couch and she was staring into the flame of the fireplace once more. "Why not become the one who reminds the world of what a priestess is really supposed to be again? Maybe if you did that and your teachings spread, people like us wouldn't have to play hero quite so often anymore."

"My own legacy…" The golden dragon priestess repeated quietly to herself. "Maybe you have matured after all Miss Lina ….I'll definitely consider it. She replied with a dutiful expression on her face. "Oh… and didn't you say you had a second favor to ask…?"

"Yeah…" The redhead looked over her shoulder to answer.

"Well, what is it?"

"I was wondering if maybe…………… you could pull that mace that you have shoved so far up your butt out now and finally tell me the prophesy you've been so worried about!" Lina teased before breaking into a fit of laughter while ducking an indignant kick from the golden dragon priestess.

"I stand **corrected** Lina **Inverse**, you haven't matured at **all**; in fact you've regressed to the maturity level of a **five** year old _**instead**_!" The golden dragon priestess exclaimed over the sorcery genius's peels of laughter.

Meanwhile on the road in another location:

(K) "Bandit attack… how typical." Katibree said in a bored tone as she stood side by side with Naga while multiple brigands slowly spread out to surround them.

"This lot doesn't look as ragged as most so the pickings shouldn't be all that slim." The ice sorceress deducted while taking a casting stance with a smirk.

"Possibly." The half drow replied, still not even bothering to take a fighting stance or draw her weapons for that matter. "So why do you wear that huge sword if you have no prowess with it?" She couldn't help but ask while slowly adjusting to the growing intensity of the ice sorceresses' powerful and unfamiliar magical energy signature.

"Why as a fashion statement of course." The dark haired beauty replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "**Freeeeeze**…!"

"A fashion statement…?" The ex-assassin asked in amusement while finally drawing her blades and giving her head a slight shake to clear the all too familiar fuzziness in it. _If she was this powerful why didn't I feel it when I first met her? When I first met Lina I damn near passed out…And even with Greywords, Princess Amelia and Sylphiel I could at least gage their potential output just by being near them…_

"_**Bullet**_!" Naga finished casting before looking at the half elf once more. "What else would it be?" She inquired as a large ice projectile formed and launched from her hands catching a majority of the bandit gang in front of her, encasing and freezing them in a huge block of ice.

_The magical energy vanished and so did most of her aura right after she casted… so weird… _"I figured you were using it as a counter weight to keep those boulders on your chest from making you face-plant actually." Katibree replied before flipping backwards with a smirk to close the distance between the bandits behind her, twisting her body in mid air to land on her feet to face them with her blades crossed.

"That's just a ridiculous notion, how clever for you to have come up with it." The ice sorceress replied.

"I guess you're right." The half elf conceded with a shrug before dodging a downward cleave from a nearby thug and swinging her arms apart to release an X shaped blast of crimson energy from her slicers. "I doubt that sword's **nearly** heavy enough." She added as a couple of brigands were incinerated and the rest scattered in all directions from the resulting blast. _There's that stifling blast of aura and energy again…The aura is nearly as intense as Red's but cooler somehow…it actually does feel kind of familiar now that I feel it again though…_

"You know jealousy is a **very** ugly personality trait Miss Katibree." Naga replied while gingerly sidestepping a clumsy charging attack from another ruffian. "Freeze Arrow!" She added after he had passed, freezing him solid. _Was that a spell just now…? Does she have enchanted blades…?_

"Jealousy **indeed**." Katibree scoffed while rolling over the back of one attacking bandit and drop kicking the one directly behind him square in the chest, sending him sprawling into his comrades. _Where have I felt that before… different but so similar…that's going to bug me all day._

"You don't have to admit it, it's written clearly all over your blue little face." The ice sorceress turned to say with a flip of her dark tresses as a brigand that she'd missed closed in on her with a 2 handed sword just outside her peripheral vision. _Is the energy coming from her or the sword? _She wondered.

_It's right on the tip of my tongue, the only thing throwing me off is the intensity and sporadicness of it…_The ex-assassin continued to muse as she swung her arm and shot a single blast of red energy out of Chiba to clear out the rest of the bandits on her side before glancing over her shoulder to reply back. "I'd say you'd be at least 30 percent less annoying if you could just manage to somehow get over yoursel - - watch it Naga!" She interrupted her insult to blurt while flinging a blade at the advancing thug reflexively.

The ice sorceress spun around while readying a spell just in time to see the bandit stand there motionlessly with a blank expression in his dulling eyes before his head slowly separated from the neck and toppled to the ground, the neck spurting her with blood before his lifeless body followed suit and collapsed as well.

(K) "Jeez, stroke your ego **after** battles at least - -" Was all the half drow managed before Naga's ice blue eyes glazed over and she collapsed in a dead faint. _Did she… get hit or something…? _She wondered while scanning the area suspiciously for any missed enemies as she approached the dark haired beauty to check on her.

_She doesn't look injured… maybe a spirit attack but…how many bandits are smart enough to cast? Besides I didn't feel anything, there'd at least be some reside left over from the spell… _"Hey." The half elf said while slapping Naga's cheek a bit with the back of her hand.

Eventually the ice sorceress stirred and slowly opened her eyes before taking in her blood spattered surroundings and promptly passing out again.

"You got to be shitting me." Katibree deadpanned before finally sighing and picking the leather clad vixen up with a grunt. _Does she have some condition that makes her just randomly pass out or something?_ "If that's the case how's she lasted on the road alone for so long…?" She wondered out loud while walking in search of a place to camp until the ice sorceress regained consciousness.

A few hours later………..

(N) "Uhm… agh that stings!" Naga hissed as she sat up by the camp fire while holding the side of her head.

"Yeah you racked your head pretty nicely when you fainted." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while adjusting some fish filets smoking over the fire.

"Where are we…?" The leather clad vixen asked as she scanned the forested area around them while casting a recovery spell to heal the lump on her head.

"About a mile and a half from where we were attacked." The half drow replied as she stopped polishing the large sword in her lap to study the waves of energy emanating from the ice sorceress once more. _That aura mixed with the healing magic…Gods that feels familiar now…_

"That's right, the brigand ambush…" Naga mused. _She carried me all that way…? _She added mentally before noticing what the half elf had been polishing. "Hey, isn't that…?" She began to inquire before trailing off in confusion as she finished her healing spell.

"Yours…? Yes it is, good weapon too." Katibree replied while handing the 2 handed sword back to her.

The ice sorceress looked perplexed at this while studying the now gleaming blade. "Why did you….?" She began before trailing off once more unsure of exactly shat she was trying o ask as she slowly re-sheathed her sword.

"Weapons aren't just instruments, they're your partners; an extension of yourself." The mostly platinum haired warrior answered her unfinished question while beginning to treat her own blades. "I mean… think I understand why you don't use it now, but - -"

"What do you mean by that?" The dark haired beauty suddenly looked up to ask with her sword only partially sheathed and an unreadable expression on her face.

"You were… talking in your sleep … I couldn't help but overhear and… I just put 2 and 2 together after what happened today." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied quietly while checking a filet to see if it was done. "…I'm sorry for your loss."

Naga was silent a long moment while staring into the fire before finally replying. "Don't be, it couldn't possibly be my loss; Naga the White Serpent doesn't lose." She said with a flicker of sorrow showing deep within her ice blue eyes. "On a much more interesting note though…" She continued while breaking into a grin. "That fish smells simply heavenly, is that salmon by chance…?"

The ex-assassin couldn't help but smirk at this. "….The done ones are over there."

"Oooh don't mind if I do!" The ice sorceress exclaimed happily.

"Hey, leave some for me already."

"Haven't you ever heard of the term most beautiful, first serve?"

"Even if that were the actual term its 'first serve' not '**all** serve.'"

"That's what revisions are for."

"….Impossible." Katibree said with a chuckle before trailing off as the elusive answer to her question dawned on her. _Princess Amelia, her aura's like a souped up less pure version of Princess Seyruun's aura…Hell, now that I think about it… they even kind of smell alike…………And look alike…? Oh come on that just too coincidental. _The half drow thought as she studied the dark haired vixen.

"You know, to claim to be in a committed relationship; you certainly do gaze upon my beauty quite a bit." Naga replied wryly before taking another bite of smoked salmon.

The tips of the half drow's ears reddened slightly at this. "Get over yourself already Naga." She replied while taking a bite of her own fish as well.

After a short moment of eating in silence the mostly platinum warrior spoke again.

"Hey Naga…?"

"Yes?"

"You don't… have a sister by chance do you…?"

Ice blue eyes met and locked with cool lavender ones as the dark haired beauty stopped eating and merely studied the half elf silently a moment at.

"What a positively random question, Naga the White Serpent has no family." Naga finally answered in an uncharacteristically quiet voice before turning her attention back to her salmon.

"Hum, an odd response fitting an odd woman I suppose." Katibree replied just as quietly, deciding it'd probably be better to just drop the subject all together.

Back at the temple…………

(L) "Ok I've heard the prophesy and we've gone round and round, but I still don't see why you and Luna think that I'm involved in it; it's just too obscure for me to buy into so easily." Lina replied while leaning her head back and resting it on the stone tile behind her as she relaxed while immersed up to mid-chest in steaming water compliments of the hot-springs beneath the temple.

"Oh come on Miss Lina, it refers to the point between light and darkness, how can you still possibly be so skeptical after all my theories?" The golden dragon priestess beside her replied, lounging in pretty much the same posture with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the feel of the heat of the water relaxing her muscles, her blonde hair wrapped into a bun well out of reach of the springs.

"Because that's just what they are Fillia, **theories**." The sorcery genius answered while studying the rocky terrain of the cavern ceilings as she spoke. "In the prophesy with Dark Star I was the representative of the human race, but even if 'the point between light and darkness' means that again this time, who's to say I'm even the representative again?"

"And how many times have you saved the world now Miss Lina?" The golden dragon priestess asked almost wistfully.

"Saving the world is just fine, been there, done that…" The redhead elaborated with a dismissive wave of her hand that caused the water around it to slosh slightly with the motion. "What doesn't make any sense is fighting the Monsters **and** the Gods if that's what 'opposing the light and darkness' even means this time; I have no reason to oppose the Gods at all.

The golden dragon opened her eyes with lowered eyelids and shifted them to the lounging sorceress at this statement. "So you would if it benefited you in other words…"

The sorcery genius sweat-dropped and giggled a bit in response. "…Well no… I was just trying to make my point really…"

"You've done it before Miss Lina…" Fillia deadpanned while lifting her head slightly with her eyelid still lowered.

"I have not - - Hawh you mean Sirius and what's-his-name?? Lina balked while lifting her head as well to look at the former Fire Dragon priestess. "Come on those guys weren't **gods**; the only reason they were so badass is because their astral bodies were in a different world so they were immune to magic on this one, they were no Cepheids **or** Bolfieds, that's for sure."

"But they we're **representatives** of Bolfied." Fillia replied simply while leaning her head back to rest it and closing her eyes once more.

"Representatives of Bolfied is a pretty strong title, more like **ex-**foot-soldiers of the Bolfied that no longer existed, either way grunts of the gods aren't gods Fillia; and even if the prophesy is talking about that, why doesn't it say the 'light's'…. cannon fodder or something?" The redhead retorted while leaning her head back once more with a roll of her ruby colored eyes.

"I thought you said you were going to take this seriously Miss Lina." The blonde haired girl sighed with her eyes still closed for the moment.

"I am taking it as seriously as I possibly can for a bunch of cryptic mumbo jumbo that may or may not even involve me." The sorcery genius replied while placing her hands behind her head. "You said yourself that you're not sure if this actually involves me or not, you just think it might."

"Well if that's the case I say you're sounding awfully defensive about a warning regarding something that may or may not come to pass or even involve you."

"…….I'm not being defensive Fillia, and I am taking into consideration what you're saying, but it's just… **frustrating**." Lina tried to explain with growing irritation. "I just think it's **stupid** to have to walk around worrying about some half-baked prophesy when the damn spirits or whatever it is that triggered or caused the premonition to begin with could have just said; 'Hey Lina Inverse needs to save the world again.' Or, 'Hey, this time Lina gets a break.'."

The golden dragon priestess opened her blue eyes and looked over at the sorcery genius once again who was now gazing up at the ceiling in silence after having spoken her peace. _Since when did Miss Lina worry about __**anything**__, and when has she ever cared about catching a break in matters like this…?_ Fillia wondered while furrowing her brows slightly at the uncharacteristic statement. _I guess even virtual demi-gods get tired sometimes…_ "Well, unfortunately things don't work that way, and we have to work with what we're given." She finally answered apologetically.

"Yeah I understand, doesn't mean it doesn't suck." The redhead replied before standing and reaching for her towel to leave just as Amelia and Sylphiel entered the springs.

(S) "Oh Miss Lina, are you leaving?" Sylphiel asked.

"But we just got here…" Amelia added crestfallenly.

"Yeah, sorry girls but I need a little time alone to work on some stuff ok?" Lina barely glanced up to reply while wrapping her towel around herself as she left the hot springs.

"Miss Lina sure has been moodier than usual lately…" The princess pouted after the sorcery genius was out of sight.

(S) "Yes I've noticed that too… she's needed an awful amount of time alone and she hasn't even gone to visit Gourry dear and Mr. Zelgadis since we've been here."

(F) "Well… from what she's told me of your situation time is ticking and the longer you guys wait the worse your odds get while you're waiting for your scout to report back." Fillia mused thoughtfully. _And since when did Miss Lina start using scouts anyway… it's such a… traditional and… organized tactic…_

"She could at least let us know what she's working on…" The Seyruun princess complained.

(S) "Yes at the very least we may be able to help…."

Several days later………………..

Lina looked up from her spell book with a start at the sound of an abrupt knocking at the door of her quarters. "Yeah, who is it?" She asked while getting up from the bed she'd been lounging on.

"Miss Lina Inverse, Priestess Fillia sent me to get you to ok a female elf requesting entry to the sanctuary as she is currently in the middle of a ritual…" A flustered sounding shrine maiden's voice that the redhead didn't recognize said through the door.

The sorceresses heart skipped a beat at the news and she broke into an all out grin at this. "I'll be right down!" She shouted through the door, the room becoming a virtual tornado of clothing as she hurriedly got dressed.

"Yes Miss Inverse, I'll relay the information!"

"Thanks and would ya let Amelia and Sylphiel know to go to the meeting room?" Lina added before tossing her normal sorceress shirt aside for a yellow v-neck instead and dawning that before hurriedly brushing her crimson colored mane.

"Right away Miss Inverse!" The maiden exclaimed dutifully through the door before hurrying off.

A minute later the redhead emerged from her room and did her best to keep from running as she made her way down the hallway while clasping the last of her talismans in place. _I guess formal is better than nothing… _She thought to herself somewhat self-consciously while smoothing out her gear as she went.

At the doorway of the temple she stopped at took a deep breath willing her heart rate and breathing to return to normal. _Come on Lina it hasn't even been 2 weeks…keep it casual. _She ordered herself before reaching for the door handle to open it.

What was standing in the doorway was a sight for sore ruby colored eyes but the sorcery genius kept her cool and didn't even let herself crack a smile, merely folding her arms. "Sure are cutting it close aren't we…?" She chided in mock crossness.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the amount of carriage traffic you run into up here in the mountains…" The mostly platinum haired warrior joked. "Heya Red." She added with a soft expression on her face that melted the younger girl's heart.

And with that an excited squeal followed by laughter cracked the redhead's mask of cool which evaporated with a puff of smoke and she threw herself into the half elf's arms, holding on with all her might as the larger girl twirled her around a few times before setting her down and relinquishing the embrace while still laughing herself.

(L) "We're… pretty pathetic huh…?" Lina said after regaining her composure and putting some distance between them with a slight blush.

"Maybe just a little." Katibree agreed while rubbing the back of her neck with an embarrassed chuckle. "Anyway, I'm not alone so I figured I should have the guest hang back until someone had a chance to approve or disapprove their entry… I didn't realize this place was going to be a temple…"

"Yeah neither did I… so who'd you bring along and…. why…?"

"It's a….. long story." The mostly platinum haired warrior explained with a deep sigh while raising a hand in the air and shooing a crimson beam of energy high into the sky.

"Learned a new trick I see… you can do it without a weapon now- -"

"Ooooooooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…. **Ooooooooh**, ooh, ooh, ooh…. _**Oooooooh**_, ooh, ooh, ooh….."

The redhead's question died on her lips at the distant but approaching sound of her long forgotten until now least favorite sound in the world and she began to look very blue in the face as she slowly looked to the skies in denial. "Oh…**no**."

"Man she never lets up…" The half elf said with a sweat-drop just as the ice sorceress touched down in front of her and Lina placing her hands on her hips with a dazzling smile.

"………………._**Na-ga?!**_" Lina finally blurted in disbelief. "W-what in the **hell** are _**you**_ doing **here**?!?"

(K) "Uhm… you know her…?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked in confusion.

(N) "Apparently the legend of my unsurpassed beauty and prowess as a sorceress has spread to even areas as remote as this one………" The dark haired vixen began to boast before trailing off and taking a closer look at the sorceress standing in front of her. "L……..Lina….is…is that you…?" She asked slowly while squinting her eyes in growing recognizing of her old traveling companion.

"Yeah, it's… it's me Naga." Lina affirmed while shifting her weight where she stood uncomfortably.

"I…I…. can't believe it…" The ice sorceress said in astonishment.

"Yeah… it's pretty wild huh…?" The redhead agreed while rubbing the back of her neck as the memories from all those years ago came back in a flood. _Should I… hug her or something… it's been a really long time…_

"It really is…. I don't…. I don't think they've grown even a tiny bit since we last met." Naga observed as Lina promptly face-faulted while Katibree sweat-dropped, gritting her teeth in mortification.

_I guess that answers my question. _The redhead thought to herself dryly while picking herself up off the ground and brushing her gear off. "I see you're as shallow and brainless as ever Naga." Lina finally replied before turning to Katibree with a stress-mark. "I don't know what gave you the audacity to bring that leather-clad, walking set of **udders** here with you in the first place Katibree, but I **refuse** to work her."

(K) _Naga's the one that gave Red the complex isn't she? _The half elf deducted dryly. _Xellos, you asshole._

(N) "How terribly rud- -" The ice sorceress began to huff.

"_**Who's**_ **rude**?!" The redhead spun back to the dark haired vixen to blurt angrily. "We haven't seen each other in nearly a **decade** and the first thing that comes out of your mouth when we meet again is an **insult**? I put up with this exact thing on the road with you all those years ago and I'll be **damned** if I sign up for it again, you can go to **hell** Naga." The sorcery genius exploded before spinning on her heels and beginning to storm away.

(K) "Slight problem with this Red…" The half drow called quietly while smoothing out her mostly platinum colored mane with a sigh. "Xellos set this up; Naga knows where the lab producing the Mazoku clones is located…"

The redhead froze in her tracks with her back turned at this statement while blinking back tears of anger and embarrassment. _It __**figures**__ this is Xellos's doing…_ "……..Fine, the conference room is this way." She conceded quietly. "Well grab the girls and them head over to the guys place afterwards."

As the trio walked in silence on the way to the conference where Amelia, Sylphiel, and possibly Fillia were waiting, the ice sorceress found herself lost in thought. _I don't know why I did that, I was genuinely happy to see her…I just, I guess I was scared and didn't know what to say after us parting on such bad terms…She was so young then… I wonder if she even remembers…? _"…Lina I…."

"What is it Naga." Lina replied icily, not even bothering to turn around.

"I… well, never mind." Naga managed before losing her nerve and changing her mind.

_Well, awkward doesn't even __**begin**__ to describe the atmosphere in the air right now…_Katibree thought to herself with a sweat-drop as they closed in on the conference room door. _I wonder what type of history these two had? Lina's never even mentioned her, but I guess I can kind of see why…_

Just then they reached the door designated for the conference room and Lina opened it with Katibree close behind.

"Hey Miss Lina, what's the reason for the conference - -?" Oh Miss Katibree's back!" The Seyruun princess chirped cheerfully.

(L) "Hi Amelia." Lina replied with forced cheerfulness.

"Hey Miss Katibree!" The Seyruun princess exclaimed happily while waving to both girls happily.

"Hey yourself little princess." Katibree replied with a smirk and a little wave. "Heya Sylphiel." She added

"Welcome back Miss Katibree!"

"Thanks, hey where are the guys?" The half elf asked as Naga who was further back made her way into the room as well.

(A) "Well guys aren't allowed here so they have their own private…." Amelia began to explain before trailing off with a confused expression on her face that seamlessly melted to shock. "……..Gracia….?" She practically whispered in disbelief.

Naga ice blue eyes widened at the use of her long retired real name and slowly scanned the room in search of the source of the user. "By the gods………. A-Amelia….?" She finally asked in mirrored disbelief.

"_**GRACIA**_**!!!" **Amelia shouted while jumping up and blasting over the table with a Ray Wing, sending papers flying in all directions.

"**Oof**!" Gracia grunted as she was bowled over by the impromptu Amelia projectile. "Ooh, hoo, hoo... I've missed you too little sister!" She laughed while hugging the younger princess back tightly from the ground as everyone stared at the spectacle in bemusment.

(K) "…You too know each other too…?" _Whoever said lighting doesn't strike the same spot twice was __**full**__ of it…_

(S) "Uhm… Miss Lina…. Who is this…. 'eccentrically' dressed woman…?" The raven haired girl asked in confusion.

The redhead began to explain before abruptly cutting off what she was saying as everything clicked at once. "Her name's Naga but Amelia's calling her Gracia for some reason - -" You've got to be kidding me." She finally deadpanned.

(A) "Where have you been all this Gracia? Daddy and I have been worried sick - -" The younger princess asked from her perch on top of her older sister before being interrupted by a certain redhead who was currently vigorously rustling her crimson colored mane in annoyance.

"**Hold** it, _**hold**_ it, _**HOLD**_ **it**!" Lina exclaimed while breathing raggedly after her miniature what-the-hell-is-going-on fit. "Don't tell me Naga here is the long loss 1st crowned princess you were telling me about."

(A) "Well her name is actually Gracia, Naga is only part of her full title… but yes…" Amelia answered while finally letting her older sister up from her mauling.

(N) "I always did say I was fit for royalty did I not my stature lacking little friend?"

"Like I've ever listened to even **10** percent of what you've had to say Naga." The sorcery genius shot back with a glare. "Either way, I think you've made a mistake Amelia; I have a hard time believing that someone as moronic, shallow, self centered and all around indecent could **ever** have royal blood let alone Seyruun royal blood."

"You take that back Lina Inverse or I swear I'll…" Gracia fumed as she stood.

"You'll **what**, laugh me to death?" Lina scoffed while taking a step toward Naga before Katibree caught her arm. "You couldn't take me in a fight then and you sure as **hell** can't now and you **know** it Naga."

(A) "Please don't fight…. We've… we've all just finally been reunited…. It should be a happy day…." The younger princess whispered on the verge of tears as she watched the two sorceresses helplessly.

(S) "Miss Amelia's right… can't we all just have a good time…?"

The two sorceresses just continued to glare silently at each other.

(A) "Please big sister, if Daddy were here you'd be breaking his heart as much as you are mine right now…" Amelia said while holding one of Naga's arms as tears pooled in her cerulean colored eyes.

Gracia looked down at her younger sister and her expression immediately softened. "….We're going to finish what we started Lina, but not today." She finally looked back at Lina to say quietly.

"Don't make it look like you're bowing out for **my** well being Naga, I'm ready to finish this here and - -"

"Red?" The mostly platinum haired warrior asked while placing a hand on the sorceresses gemmed shoulder guard. "Come on." She added with a slight shake of her head.

Lina sighed and slowly unclenched her fists at this before closing her ruby colored eyes and taking a deep breath and holding it. "Fine." She conceded after slowing letting the breath out. "Let go see the guys and we can head to town for a celebration party where alcohol is actually allowed." She added with a wave of her hand.

(S) "Sounds like fun!"

(K) "Now were talking."

(N) "You and I actually agreed on something for once Lina."

(A) "Yay alcohol!"

(L) "Alcohol for everyone **except** Amelia that is." Lina teased.

"Miss Linaaaaa….!" The younger princess complained.

"Well it is a special occasion…" The redhead mused. "What do you say Naga?"

"Well cheers of course!" Gracia laughed while doing a fake toast with her little sister while grinning.

"Jeez… is it genetic or something…?" The sorcery genius wondered with a sweat-drop while rubbing the back of her neck. _And Kat drinks like a fish too… Naga and Kat swapping stories as they drink is the last thing I need…_The sorceress thought with a roll of her ruby colored eyes. "Alright, alright, let's go, let's go, let's go there's food to be eaten!"

(N) "And brandy to be drank!"

(A) "And towns to paint!"

(S) Sylphiel could help but giggle as they left the conference room. "They all seem pretty pumped up all the sudden don't they Miss Katibree?"

"My only explanation to any of this is that all three of them have to be completely bipolar with a dose of honest to goodness pure insanity on the side." Katibree replied with a bemused shake of her head. "Enemies to friends at the drop of a hat, it's just… wild…"

Several hours later at a tavern in a secluded little town in the mountains, the gang sat around a table and chatted pleasantly.

(Z) "Ok, now let me get this straight…" Zelgadis said with one hand on his chin and the other holding a glass of wine. "Naga, or Gracia as Amelia calls her is the long lost 1st crowned princess of Seyruun making her Amelia's sister and Phil's daughter… And apparently when she left the kingdom after the unfortunate events of a certain night, she met up with a much younger Lina and started adventuring with her not too long afterwards…"

(A) "And then they went their separate ways after traveling together for a couple of years only for Miss Lina to happen to meet Mr. Gourry and the rest of us just a few months later…" Amelia picked up where the chimera trailed off.

(K) "And so because Lina and Amelia both knew Naga by different names, neither of them were the wiser that Lina knew Naga too the few times Amelia talked about her." Katibree finished for the younger Seyruun princess before taking a pull from her tankard of mead.

(S) "That's really quite the story." Sylphiel said after putting down her own glass of wine, already beginning to look flushed as she wasn't much of a drinker.

(L) "Yeah it really is, almost like the chains of fate keep bringing us back together or something." Lina agreed while leaning back and patting her newly full stomach contently.

(G) "Well, if we're all just going to keep meeting up like this to save the world and stuff…" Gourry began around a mouthful of food. "Shouldn't we have a name like all these hero groups around? I mean we're the biggest and baddest right?" He added after swallowing his food.

(Z) "Haven't heard of any other groups of heroes taking down a Dark Lord, let alone two, that's for sure." Zelgadis said with a smirk.

(L) "Alright, so what do we call ourselves then gang…?" Lina asked as her mixed drink she had ordered was brought to her.

(A) "How about, 'The Warriors of Justice'!" The princess stood and proclaimed with stars in her eyes.

(Everyone but Amelia) "**Nooo**."

"Awww… but it's such a cool name…" The younger Seyruun princess whined with twin waterfalls streaming down her face at the instant and unanimous rejection of her idea.

(G) "Only to you Amelia!" The blonde swordsman laughed while patting her on the back.

(S) "Uhm… how about 'The Crusaders of Fate'?" Sylphiel offered shyly.

(Z) "Hum, I actually like that… but it really doesn't seem to suit our approach to things." The mystical swordsman mused before taking another sip of wine

(N) "Ok, well how about 'Team Havoc'?" Gracia asked, her voice echoing slightly as she had a tankard partially up to her mouth.

"……That name doesn't seem like a very good name for a group of heroes big sister." Amelia replied with a sweat-drop.

"Well I think it's a lovely name."

(L) "I can't believe I'm saying this but, although I don't think the name's 'lovely'… I do think it's kind of fitting…" Lina admitted with a sweat-drop of her own. "What do you think Kat…?"

"I honestly don't think that I've pulled enough weight on this team yet to deserve the privilege of helping pick out a name for it." The half elf replied while refilling her mug of mead. "But I do think that it'd be better to come up with a name that doesn't make the towns folk of the towns we go into want to run inside and bar their windows even though they probably should."

"Eh heh… good point." The sorcery genius agreed while scratching the back of her head with a laugh.

(Z) "I say the name doesn't have to be too fluffy."

(L) "'Fluffy', and when exactly is a name considered 'fluffy' Zel?" The redhead asked in amusement before taking a sip from her drink through a straw.

Zelgadis blushed slightly at this. "I don't know, all I'm saying is the people that we save don't have to love us or the name, but the name we come up with should definitely strike fear into the hearts of our enemies at least."

"So…. A name that people can respect… but enemies fear…?" Lina clarified.

"Or a name that reminds our adversaries why they should fear us." The chimera agreed.

(K) "Ok, so the name should be closer to a reminder than a banner then?" Katibree asked while leaning back in her chair so that it balanced on 2 legs.

(L) "Yeah, I think I'd like that…" The sorcery genius said with a growing grin.

"Alright then, who are the biggest adversaries that this group has had to deal with at any given time then?"

"I guess I'd have to say… our toughest enemies have always been members of the monster race for as long as I can remember." The redhead mused. "Even Naga's scraped along side me with demons before."

The rest of the table murmured in agreement amongst themselves at this.

(K) "And what do you guys do constantly to Mazoku…?"

(Z) "Long story short except for a few exceptions, we kill them."

(G) "The… 'Monster Slayers' then?" Gourry offered.

(L) "Come on Gourry the monster races' collective ego is big enough without us putting their name into our team title, besides they aren't the only thing we deal with so why don't we shorten it to…. 'The Slayers'." Lina said with a fanged grin. "That way **anyone** that thinks about screwing with us will get the point."

(Z) "I like the ring of that name!" Zelgadis laughed.

(A) "I still like 'Heroes of Justice' better, but I can go with that I guess… I have to admit it **is** fitting…"

(N) "Works for me, but it's not as if I actually need a group title to strike fear into the hearts of **my** enemies."

(K) "That's right, all you have to do is start laughing and it'll scare the hell out of your adversaries and your allies too…."

(S) "I didn't think I'd care for a name so dark sounding, but… I actually like it…" Sylphiel admitted before hiccupping and covering her mouth with a blush.

(G) "So… is it 'The Slayers' then…?" Gourry asked Lina.

"That seems to be the general consensus Gourry so we mine as well make it official." Lina affirmed while standing and holding her glass up with a dazzling smile. "To 'The Slayers'?" She toasted while looking around the table as everyone else stood as well.

"To '**The Slayers**'!" The team cheered collectively while clicking their various drinks together jovially.

Moments later Katibree suddenly glanced up from the celebration and glanced around the tavern quickly before elbowing Lina in the ribs to get her attention.

"What's up Kat?" The redhead looked over to ask lightly.

"I think you'd better brace yourself because I have the feeling that a whole new type of it is about to hit the fan." The half elf said with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What do you mean by th - -?" Was all the sorcery genius managed to ask as the entire table fell silent at a certain mysterious priest's voice.

(X) "Well, well… it seems like the gang is pretty much all here now minus a certain golden dragon." Xellos called wryly as he made his way over from the tavern door he'd just entered through. "It gladdens me to see you all enjoying yourself my friends!"

(Z) "Cut the crap Xellos, what the hell are you doing here?" Zelgadis snapped.

"Come now is that anyway to greet an old comrade?" Xellos asked in a hurt tone. "I've merely come to join the celebration as well you see."

(L) _Don't do this Xellos… please don't do what I think you're about to…! _Lina thought to herself in growing panic while squeezing Katibree's hand under the table unconsciously.

"Like you actually know what we're celebrating…" Zelgadis scoffed. "You've just come to spy on us and stir up trouble."

"Of course I know what you guys must be celebrating; I was one of the first to find out about Lina's big news!" The mysterious priest replied while opening an eye slightly and waggling a finger.

Everyone turned to look at Lina in varying states of confusion and one state of apprehension at this.

(A) "Miss Lina's…. 'big news'?" Amelia repeated slowly. "Do you know what Mr. Xellos is talking about Miss Lina…?" _Is he talking about… Miss Lina having fallen for someone else other than Mr. Gourry…?_

"…Yeah." The sorcery genius admitted in a barely audible voice while staring down at the table.

(X) "Oh… you hadn't told them yet Lina….?" Xellos asked in mock surprise. "Huuuum… my bad…"

"You knew I hadn't the moment you walked in the door Xellos so drop the act." The redhead replied quietly.

(N) "There's something that only Lina and the nice priest know…?" Naga asked while leaning forward conspiratorially. "Well I won't stand for that so let's hear it."

(X) "Well it's pretty much impossible for at least one other person in the room to not know as well…" The trickster priest said with a cackle.

(Z) "What… is Xellos… talking about exactly Lina…?"

After a moment more of silence from the redhead Xellos made his way over to where Lina and Katibree were sitting and leaned on his trademark staff. "Hum, huuum what to do, what to do? All this time and the Kat's still not out of the bag when the **world's** been waiting so long to know what that huge disturbance in the astral plane was that fateful night…!"

(S) "You had something to do with that Miss Lina…?"

"Xellos, don't do this." The sorcery genius said quietly.

"Well if I don't, who will?" Xellos asked with a shrug. "This has been dragging on for nearly half a year now just eating away at you hasn't it? Think of this as… a favor from one friend to another…"

(Z) "Xellos, stop talking in riddles and get to the damn point." Zelgadis blurted crossly.

"I'm glad someone finally asked me." The mysterious priest replied with a grin as he twirled his staff. "I'm sure you've all noticed some… changes that you… just couldn't quite put your fingers on… and as it turns out, as of the night of the astral plane disturbance our 'lil sorcery genius prodigy's' experienced her transcendence to womanhood. Got a new lease on life, a new attitude you might say."

(A) "Transcendence to womanhood…?"

(S) "You don't mean…?" Sylphiel began to ask before trailing off with a vivid blush.

"Oh but I do my dear friends, our little Lina is officially all grown up."

(S) "But who…? Gourry dear was in Sairaag with me when that incident happened, I'm sure of it…"

"Oh that's right… Lina hadn't been traveling with Mr. Gourry for quite some time until just recently." Xellos mused. "But our darling Lina wasn't on the road alone for very long after leaving Sairaag from what I understand you see." He added while propping a nonchalant elbow up on the back of Katibree's chair. "So I suppose the real question would be, who our fiery prodigy was traveling with everyday timeline wise when that little astral plane disturbance took place… hum, oh that's right! It was our third and newest guardian here wasn't it? It appears that the going history of speculation has finally come to a conclusion and our Lina has finally chosen her lucky suitor!"

At this all the eyes at the table minus Lina's went to a certain half elf as jaw after jaw hit the floor and Gourry dropped his glass before slowly standing to leave wordlessly with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Oh dear… was it something I said…?" The mysterious priest asked with a cackle while rubbing is neck in mock sheepishness.

Author's notes: there a double whammy for having to wait so long for updates... wait that was a cliffhanger wasn't it...? More months of waiting... NOOOO! LOL. i'll do my best to get 67 ASAP. it's gonna be a dosie.


	67. Chapter 67

67. Matters of the Heart

The rest of the group sat in shocked silence for what seemed like an eternity as Lina looked down at the table and Katibree stared daggers at Xellos who was in the process of putting some much advisable distance between the two and himself.

Finally, Naga was the first to break the nearly tangible silence.

"Lina… is what Mr. Xellos says true…?" She asked with an unreadable expression on her face. "Are you and Katibree… seeing each other…?"

The redhead sat still for a very long moment trying to will her ruby colored eyes to rise from the table and meet those of her companions, but it seemed like the sheer weight of their questioning looks made her unable to do so. She stole a quick sideways glance at the mostly platinum haired warrior who had now turned her full attention to her as well. _I'm so sorry, Gourry…_She thought sadly to herself before finally taking a deep wavering breath and finally replying.

"…Xellos… has always had the tendency to instigate things… as well as leave out certain bits of the truth for his own amusement… but they're always truths." She began quietly. "If there's one thing that he's always prided himself on, it's the fact that he never lies…" The sorcery genius added while lifting her ruby colored gaze to settle on the mysterious priest directly.

(Z) "S-so… it's… it's true then…?" Zelgadis stammered in disbelief while looking back and forth from one girl to the other with a creeping blush spreading across his face.

"…Yeah Zelgadis, it's true." Lina affirmed never taking her piercing gaze off of a certain Mazoku.

(N) "Well isn't this just deliciously **juicy**?" The ice sorceress said with an amused smirk. "If that's the case, there's something I simply **must** know then Katibree…" She added while leaning forward with a coy expression spreading across her stunning features.

"And what's that…?" The half drow inquired, partially dividing her attention between carefully monitoring Lina's emotional state and humoring Naga.

"Putting aside your **obvious** lapse in taste, just how did you manage to get such a clueless, juvenile, self proclaimed pure maiden who's actually no more than a hopeless prude into the sa--?" Was all the dark haired beauty managed before her younger sister lunged over and clamped a hand tightly over her mouth.

"_**Gracia**_…!" Amelia hissed in mortification as the sorcery genius shot Naga a dangerous glare.

Sylphiel, who'd been watching the events unfold in stunned silence up until this point finally spoke. "But Miss Lina, I don't understand…" She blurted before letting her voice trail off in confusion.

"W-well… that's… I mean… it's a long story Sylphiel…" Lina stammered before trailing off herself with her eyes once again downcast.

(X) "Oh most certainly…!" Xellos agreed vigorously. "The matters of the heart are always complex and never easily explained you see."

(K) "And you would be the leading authority in matters of the human heart as you've had such extensive experience with that which you don't possess yourself over the millennia…?" Katibree inquired dryly.

"…I suppose I **do** see your point Miss Katibree…" The Mazoku admitted after a moment of thought. "No matter how much time is spent observing any one thing, one can only be the proverbial spectator if incapable of actually experiencing what's being studied themselves… That being said, if anyone else truly understands the depth of this little dilemma as well as Lina does, I'd have to say it would have to be the unrequited himself… It would certainly be interesting to hear his take on things wouldn't you all say…?" He baited while nonchalantly gesturing at the swordsman savant's now empty chair.

(S) "Gourry dear…?" _He's gone…_The raven haired girl thought with a worried look on her face.

(A) "He's not here… but he was right there only a moment ago…" Amelia said as everyone's eyes turned to where the swordsman savant had just been sitting.

(X) "Huuum, it seems he has decided to take his leave for the time being…" Xellos observed in his usual cheerful manner.

(Z) "Can you really blame him?" The chimera replied while glaring at the mysterious priest. "Finding out something like this in the way that he just did **has** to have been devastating for him…"

(L) _"I should have told him when I had the chance to do it properly…"_ Lina whispered to herself before giving Katibree a conflicted look.

"_Go to him, I'll be fine Red_." The half elf whispered with a slight nod and squeeze of the smaller girl's hand underneath the table.

With this, the sorcery genius stood from the table and headed for the exit in search of Gourry without another word.

(A) "Miss Lina…?"Amelia called as she moved to pursue the sorcery genius with a worried look of her own.

(Z) "Let her be Amelia." Zelgadis said quietly, placing a hand on the Seyruun princesses' shoulder and giving a slight shake of the head as the redhead left, letting the door swing shut behind her.

The chimera turned to the mysterious priest once again at the sound of Lina's exit with a frown. "Alright Xellos, you've got some explaining to do…" He began while standing from the table himself. "How did you find out about this, and how is it any of this your business to begin with?" He pressed while walking toward the Mazoku deliberately.

"As doggedly straight forward and to the point as always I see Zelgadis…" Xellos replied with a sweat-drop while rubbing the back of his neck with a cackle. "I've always had an interest in our dear friend Lina over the years, and this union is merely one of many things that have been drawn to my attention concerning her… Is that really so hard to believe…?" He explained laughingly with a warding gesture at the shaman advanced.

"**Don't** give me that superficial _**garbage**_, I know your sudden interest in Lina's personal life isn't just some **stupid** coincidence so start _**talking**_ Xellos." The mystical swordsman demanded as Sylphiel quietly excused herself from the table.

"Myyy, myy… even after all these years I can't get a **thing** past you my chimera friend…" The mysterious priest conceded with a deep sigh.

"Then **stop** wasting my time and _**spill**_ it." Zelgadis growled, inches from the priest's face. "**Tell** me what you and Beast Master are **up** to."

"As interesting as it would be to fill you in on all the succulent details, I do have other matters to attend to unfortunately…" Xellos answered while opening an amethyst colored eye with a smirk as he took a step back. "And besides, even if I did have the time…" He added while lifting a pointer finger to his face and waggling it slightly. "Thaaat… is a secret!" He finished, teleporting immediately afterwards while laughing.

"**Argh**, that son of a - -!"

(A) "**Please** calm down Mr. Zelgadis…" The cerulean eyed princess implored while placing her hand on the shaman's back to redirect his attention. "Mr. Xellos **has** always been like this after all…"

"…….It's **is** typical for him to cut and run, but that doesn't make it any less irritating…." The mystical swordsman finally managed through gritted teeth before unclenching his fists and folding his arms in a huff.

Meanwhile outside…Lina had searched the perimeter of the establishment with no sign of Gourry and had since then begun spanning the surrounding area in town. Eventually she came upon a familiar looking lone silhouette standing by the pier in the docking area of town.

The sorcery genius froze upon spotting the swordsman savant and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before swallowing with a dry click and apprehensively walking toward him. At a certain distance she found that her legs would carry her no further and she merely stood several feet behind the blonde warrior silently not knowing what to say, or even how to begin to approach him.

"Hey, Lina." Gourry greeted with a downtrodden but still surprisingly pleasant tone to his voice, sensing her presence although he still had yet to turn around. "I guess we've got some stuff to talk about huh?"

"….Yeah… I guess we do Gourry." The redhead finally managed with a slight rustle of her crimson colored mane, somewhat taken aback by the master swordsman's unexpected directness. "I've been… meaning to talk to you about it for quite some time now but…" She said while taking a few steps closer before trailing off as a lump began to form in her throat.

"_So it's true then_." The swordsman savant deducted in a barely audible voice before looking over his shoulder at her with an unusual intensity in his sky blue eyes.

Whether the statement was meant to be directed to her or spoken more for his own benefit the sorceress was unsure, either way she nodded slightly in affirmation before helplessly averting her ruby colored eyes from Gourry's as an untold sadness became even more painfully apparent in his baby blue orbs.

"I admit…I didn't… know how to tell you, Gourry… But, I didn't mean for you to find out this way…" The sorceress half explained half pleaded as she tentatively made the rest of the way to his side. "You're… my best friend I…" She tried to continue while reaching for his face, but trailed off as he turned his head away with a pained expression on his face. "_Gourry… I'm sorry.._."

"You shouldn't make excuses for the way you feel..." The swordsman savant replied more coolly than he had intended.

Lina's hand dropped and her eyes hardened defensively before softening once again at this statement. "….I'm… not apologizing for the way I **feel**, Gourry." She finally answered evenly.

"Then what are you saying you're sorry for?" He turned his head back toward her to look directly into her ruby colored eyes and ask.

"I'm… I'm just sorry for all the years you waited… to finally get… this answer…"

At this the blonde warrior turned his gaze back to the waters of the pier before speaking once again. "Has it really been that long…?" He wondered out loud.

"_Going on six years… yeah_." The redhead managed through the lump that had once again returned to her throat.

The blonde warrior smiled at this. "Well, I'm not sorry… I'd wait for you forever Lina."

"Oh, Gourry…" The sorcery genius choked as tears welded up in her eyes and she found herself staring at the ground once again.

"I'm… not sure how, but I guess I always had a feeling that something had changed from the day you came back… I even tried to ask what a few times, but I just couldn't figure out how." The swordsman savant continued while moving a small concealed object about with his thumb in the palm of his hand as he leaned on a waist high pier beam, supporting himself with his elbows. "So… I guess there's only one more thing I need to ask…"

He took a deep breath and turned to her once again, closing his eyes and steeling himself to ask the question that had been forming in the back of his mind from the very day Lina had returned from Zephilia with Katibree by her side…

"Do you…"

The way she treasures Twinkle…

"…I mean… I know you…"

The way she never wanted him to spar with her…

"**Love** her… but…"

The way that she shared everything with her without even really realizing it…

"Are you…"

Just the way that she always **looked** at her…

"Are you **in** love with her Lina…?"

The redhead willed herself to look up at him once more with this question, the reflection of a thousand stars glistening along the surface of the tears pooled in her ruby colored eyes. "Gourry… I never meant for any of this to…_I didn't even realize before it had already…_" She tried to explain.

The blonde warrior gave her a sad little smile in response. "It's kind of like breathing isn't it…? You don't realize you're even doing it when you first start to…"

"….It just… comes naturally…" The sorcery genius finished for him, beginning to see the swordsman savant in a new light.

"_Yeah_…" Gourry agreed quietly. _Then you notice it one day and realize you've always done it…_ "Please Lina, I need to hear it from you… my question from before…" He reiterated with a heartrending but determined look on his face, sky blue eyes locked with ruby red ones.

"…_I…...._" Lina began unsteadily, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she forced the words past the incessant lump in the throat. "_I am _…" She finally confirmed. "Katibree… _she's…_she's the one my heart's chosen."

The swordsman savant looked back out at the water with this. "……………………..…. I understand." He replied after what seemed like an eternity. "…Would you mind… giving me some time alone now Lina…?" He added while moving that small object around in his palm with his thumb once again while still looking out at the water with an unreadable expression on his face.

_That's all…?_ The sorceress wondered worriedly."A-are you sure that you're- -?"

"I've always trusted you Lina; Isn't it about time you started trusting me more too…?" Gourry interjected gently but meaningfully, never taking his gaze off of the dark swirling waters of the pier.

A second tear streamed down Lina's face as her long time friend's words hit home and she searched for something… anything to say as more tears followed.

"You should go to her Lina, I'm sure this isn't the easiest time for her right now either… I'll be fine." The blonde warrior replied to the redhead's unvoiced concerns. "I'll head back a little later."

The sorcery genius' cape and tresses began to rustle as a gentle air current from a levitation spell slowly lifted her from the ground. "....I…I guess I'll… see you when you get back then Gourry…" She replied quietly, unsure of what else she could possibly say before taking off in the direction of the inn with a blast of air, wiping her eyes as she went.

Once the sorceress was out of sight, the swordsman savant looked down at the hand that had been holding the small object and opened it to reveal the ring he'd been planning to propose to her with until the image of the trinket began to waver in his vision, his baby blue eyes filling with tears of his own. Unable to contain his sorrow any longer, he dropped his head into the crook of his arm with a broken sob, letting the ring fall from his hand as he wept openly.

The engagement ring bounced several times off the wood of the pier toward the cobblestones of the streets before rolling over to a large nearby crate along the pier, finally falling over and settling with a clink-clink-cliii-cliiiiiink.

From the shadows behind the crate, a hand reached out and retrieved the ring, bringing it up to a pair of jade green eyes, the tears pouring out of them being wiped and blinked away to study it more clearly. On the inner band of the ring etched in exquisite calligraphy it read: Lina Inverse Gabriev

Sylphiel covered her mouth with a gasp. "_Oh Gourry dear… I'm… I'm so __**sorry**__…!_" She whispered while reading the inscription over and over again as the tears began to slow and the expression on her face began to melt from sorrow to an emotion that the shrine maiden was decidedly far less familiar with as she left her position by the crate and began to stride purposefully back in the direction of the inn.

Meanwhile, back at the inn…

(N) "Amelia, these are the rules so no interfering." Naga said crisply while slamming down another tankard of mead in front of Katibree. "She gets asked a question she refuses to answer and she has to drink, it's only fair."

The remainder of the gang had gravitated to the bar which was currently littered with an assortment of empty or partially empty containers of alcoholic beverages since the events of earlier in the evening, and making good use of it…

(A) "I don't see how making Miss Katibree drink for respecting Miss Lina's privacy is fair Gracia…" Amelia argued weakly, her own mixed drink in hand. "Mr. Zelgadis… please say something…" She turned to implore of the mystical swordsman currently hunched over his own drink at the bar, quite completely lost in his own thoughts.

"It… It doesn't make any sense… Lina's so crude, immature and graceless and Katibree's so… so… the complete **opposite**…" The chimera muttered to himself with a hand over his face, on the verge of a migraine.

"M…Mr. Zelgadis…?" The princess asked again with a blink.

(N) "This isn't a matter of privacy dear sister, it's a matter of ethics and it is simply **horrendously** unethical to keep close friends in the dark for so long about matters as important as this… I won't stand for it." The ice sorceress replied with a pout.

Katibree rolled her lavender eyes at this. "You haven't traveled with Red for how many years now…?"

"Oh I wasn't speaking of your flat chested, insignificant other, I was talking about **you**." The dark haired beauty corrected matter-of-factly.

"We are **not**, nor will we ever **be** close friends Naga." The half elf replied with a stress-mark.

"I can't tell you enough how futile denial is my half elven companion…" The ice sorceress replied with a flip of her flowing dark hair. "Now next question, it's obvious that you two have done the deed… but how many times…? I always imagined Lina as being insatiable considering how much she overdoes everything else…" She continued shamelessly, not missing a beat as her younger sister blushed an even brighter shade of what was beginning to become the permanent color for her face that evening.

(K) "And I can't tell you enough… that this subject is **still** none of your business…" The mostly platinum haired warrior answered with a resigned sigh before taking another swig of mead. "Why don't you try asking something that's not overbearingly obnoxious and inappropriate for a change…?"

(Z) "**Alright**, I give up!" Zelgadis suddenly blurted. "**I** have a question…!"

All three girls turned to look at the shaman with varying expressions of inquiry, but before he could speak his peace, a weary looking Lina walked through the door of the dinning area and made a b-line back toward the bar where they sat with an unreadable expression on her face.

"**Really** guys…?" The redhead deadpanned while running her ruby colored gaze over the containers littering the bar before placing a hand on her hip with a sigh. "I'm running around town worried **sick,** and you guys… decide to go and ingest the **entire** **bar**."

(A) "Well… this is… moshly big sister and Miss Katibree actually…" The Seyruun princess slurred sheepishly.

(N) "Moshly…?" Naga repeated to her sibling, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smirk on her face.

"W-well… it is…" Amelia reiterated defensively.

(L) "And that makes this **soooo** much better." The sorcery genius said sarcastically while walking over to the half drow and giving her a borderline glowering look.

"Heya, Red…" Katibree managed while stifling a nervous laugh. "I blame Naga."

(N) "**Meeee**-eee…?" The dark haired beauty rebutted indignantly.

(L) "Don't 'heya Red' me - - De'Cleary!" Lina casted with a rough smack over the back of the mostly platinum haired warrior's head. "Did she pour the stuff down your **throat**…?"

"Ow…! Well no but… Argh…" The half drow replied before hissing in redoubled pain as the spell Lina had cast dispersed the affects of the alcohol suddenly.

"But **what**." The redhead more stated than asked.

"Let's just say you'd be more than grateful for a few drinks yourself if you had to put up with the line of questioning I have." The half elf answered while rubbing the back of her head with one eye squeezed shut.

Zelgadis turned around at the bar while clearing his throat at this statement sooner than Lina could begin to speculate before speaking himself. "Anyway, this entire nonsense aside… I'm assuming you went to go speak with Gourry, did you ever find him Lina?"

(K) "_'Nonsense' eh Zel_...?" The mostly platinum haired warrior repeated just loud enough for him to hear with amusement.

"Yeah, we talked." The redhead answered with a rustle of her crimson colored mane.

"And…?" The chimera prodded, ignoring the half drow's taunt.

(A) "Is Mr. Gourry sokay…?" Amelia couldn't help but chime in as well.

"No, he's **not**." A quiet voice answered for Lina from behind her, causing everyone to turn at the sound.

In the doorway that the sorcery genius had just entered through earlier stood Sylphiel, lowering her head as she continued to speak until only the lower part of her face was visible. "Gourry dear may be very strong… but, he is also a very gentle and sensitive man…"

"I've stood by time and time again and watched as you've taken the most noble, courageous, and kindest man I've ever known for granted without a second thought… But this time Miss Lina… This time you've just gone too far…!" She continued while walking toward the sorcery genius until she was standing directly in front of her.

"Back then, I always thought that you treated dear Gourry the way you did because… you were confused about the way you felt or… maybe because you were scared of your feelings for him and didn't know how to go about expressing them; But now… I see the truth…!" The raven haired girl continued as her hands began to clench into fists at her sides.

"And the truth must be that you just don't **care**, Lina." The trembling shrine maiden deducted quietly.

"S-Sylphiel… you… you can't mean th- -" Lina stammered in shock before falling silent as Sylphiel snapped her head up to glare at the redhead directly, angry tears shining in her vivid jade green eyes.

"I **do**! It **must** be the case if you've let things get **this** far before finally deciding to crush his heart underneath your heel!"

"Now wait a **minute** Sylphiel, that's just not **fair**…" The redhead began defensively. "I didn't **ask** for _**any**_ of this."

"No you didn't, you just let him believe what he would instead…." Sylphiel replied coldly as she reached into a concealed pocket and produced the engagement ring, firmly setting it down on the table next to where she and the sorcery genius stood. "And he chose to believe **this**."

Lina reached down and picked up the band with a small frown, failing to immediately see the relevance of the trinket as Zelgadis and Amelia's eyes widened, Naga pursed her lips while leaning forward, and Katibree closed her own eyes, lowering her head with a quiet groan. "What's this supposed to be…?" The sorcery genius asked before trailing off as she noticed the tiny inscription on the inner band of the ring. _Oh Gourry, no…_

Sylphiel merely glared silently, the anger within her boiling as the redhead stared at the ring.

"_Sylphiel, I…_" Lina tried while fighting tears and only managing a whisper. "_I never meant to…I-I…_"

The shrine maiden frowned even more deeply, having heard enough she loosened a fist and reared back with the palm of her hand as the redhead struggled with her churning emotions.

"_I honestly didn't kno - -"_

_**SLAP!!!**_

"How, could you **not** know??" Sylphiel exclaimed as an angry red handprint began to form on the side of Lina's face and she staggered back a step with a strangled sob, before placing her hand on her cheek in shock as Zelgadis and the two Seyrunn princesses gaped wordlessly and the shrine maiden suddenly found herself face-to-face with a positively livid half drow.

"How **dare **you even _**venture**_ to assume that you have even the **slightest** _**inkling **_of how Lina feels or has **ever** felt about _**anything**_?!" The mostly platinum haired warrior snarled with her face barely an inch from the raven haired girl's. "I was there for **every** fear and **every** doubt she had, every _**tear**_ she shed about this **very** subject… I watched her rip her very **soul** apart from the inside out some days because of Gabriev and how this may affect him, and you have the **audacity** to pass your groundless, **meaningless** judgment on her based on the one fucking _**thousandth**_ of your perception that makes up an entire picture…??!" She practically spat at the shocked raven haired girl.

"You couldn't even **begin** to fathom all that she's been through emotionally at the expense of **that** man…. but I **can** because I was there to _**see**_ it; so if you really want to hit someone, why don't you try hitting _**me**_**." **She dared with a dangerous flash of her lavender colored eyes.

"**Katibree**." Lina called firmly before closing her eyes and giving the ex-assassin a barely noticeable shake of the head. "It's alright… everyone's high strung right now and it'd just make Xellos' night to have us all at eachother's throats by the end of it…"

The mostly platinum haired warrior gave Sylphiel one last withering glare before turning away with a barely audible growl and storming off to the washroom to try and cool off.

The shrine maiden who had gone quite pale but had held her ground until now, finally allowed herself to relax somewhat as the half drow disappeared into a backroom.

(Z) "Lina's right, this is the worse time to argue amongst ourselves, and not **only** because it'll be entertainment for Xellos." The mystical swordsman finally agreed with a decidedly relieved sigh.

(A) "Since when is Miss Lina the cool headed one and Miss Katibree the hothead…?" Amelia wondered aloud, abruptly sobered by the unexpected outbursts of anger.

(N) "Humph, well at least the newest attack dog's well trained." The older Seyruun princess commented wryly.

Sylphiel turned her gaze back to Lina at this. "Regardless of what's said… If you truly care for him like you say, I still don't see how you could have done this to him Lina…"

"And what would you have me do Sylphiel?" The redhead asked quietly. "Tell me the plan… Enlighten me, **explain** to me how I can just fix this entire situation and make it all better." She continued while examining the ring with a deceptively serene look on her face. "Make it all clear to me how I can just turn this whole ordeal into the perfect storybook fairytale where no one gets hurt and everyone is blissfully happy…

I mean, that's the way things should be… shouldn't they…?" She continued with a bitter little smile, finally lifting her ruby colored gaze to look at the shrine maiden levelly, all humor leaving her face as she set the ring firmly back down on the table. "Since you still want to press the subject, let's cut to the root of it; what's this **really** all about Sylphiel? Are you actually upset I didn't choose Gourry…? Or are you in all actuality pissed that **he** didn't choose _**you**_…?

The raven haired girl's jade colored eyes widened and she began to stammer as her face began to redden. "I-I admit I've always had feelings for dear Gourry, but I've always stepped aside in respect for his feelings… That… that has nothing to do with **this**…!"

Just then, the entrance door to the establishment opened once more and in stepped Fillia.

"My goodness is this place out of the way for a gathering…" The dragon priestess currently in human form said while removing her shawl and shaking the condensation off of it before hanging it up as the rest of the gang turned their attention to her, the tension hanging in the air nearly asphyxiating.

"Oh…." The blonde girl breathed while surveying their body language and facial expressions with growing discomfort. "Have I… Interrupted anything…?" She inquired with a half wave, eyes closed with a sweat-drop and uneasy wavering smile.

Author's Note: Nope, you aren't halucinating, it's a new chapter after a lull of about a century... You have my girlfriend to thank for the kick in the ass. Hopefully it was worth the wait... I'm still experiencing computer difficulties but have found a way around them for now. More to come folks, sooner than later if my better half has anything to do with it lol.

Girlfriend's Note: Ello peeps! Just want to say hello! So, Z, has been extremely lazy lately, and I finally pulled the memory card outta her ass and shoved it in the computer. So thats how this chapter got up. She has been working on the next chapter, believe me, but with both of our computer problems, neither of us has been able to update our fanfics. (Both out laptops are broken, isn't traveling wonderful?) Anyways, she has worked really hard on this chapter, slaving away at it as I finished my last days of school. So you better enjoy it (Or I'll end your life). R&R peeps! Peace!


	68. Chapter 68

68.

The Storm Before the Storm

Lina glanced at Fillia before turning her attention back to Sylphiel once more. "Not at all Fillia, we were just finishing up here actually; Right Sylphiel….?" She replied to the golden dragon while looking levelly at the practicing High Priestess.

The raven haired girl looked back at the dragon priestess before turning her head back to meet the sorcery genius' gaze once more. Her jaw muscles visibly tightened before she finally conceded to drop the subject with a stiff nod; opting for graciousness in light of the newest company. "…Yes, please have a seat Miss Fillia." She said as she shot the redhead one last look that clearly stated 'This isn't over', before turning with a small forced smile while gesturing to a nearby chair. "Hopefully your journey wasn't too taxing…"

"Well… it was a bit wet, but other than that I've no complaints." The former Fire Dragon King priestess joked weakly before finally noticing a certain tall and busty one. "And who might you be, I don't believe I've ever seen you in Miss Lina's company before?"

The ice sorceress puffed out her more than ample chest at this recognition and stood triumphantly. "I am called **Naga**, **Naga** the White **Serpent**, the most **beautiful** and **powerful** rival of **Lina Inverse**!" She began with a flamboyant flip of her dark past-waist length hair.

Lina ran a hand roughly down her face in exasperation at this display as the remaining party members sweat-dropped. "Aww **Naga**, would ya give it a rest **already**?!" She snapped before Naga could begin the 'distinct' laughter that was sure to follow. "She's **actually** Amelia's sister apparently, Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun; the first born princess and first heir to the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun." The redhead went on to explain to the dragon priestess.

Naga twitched slightly and avoided her younger sister's questing gaze at the mention of her full title, taking another drink instead.

Fillia frowned skeptically at this. "Miss Amelia's sister…?"

"**Oooooooh**, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh… nice **try** Lina!" Gracia suddenly laughed with a hand coyly placed to the side of her mouth.

"….What are you **talking** about Naga?" The redhead asked with a groan. "You're the lost princess of Seyruun, Amelia already confirmed it so there's no use trying to deny it - -"

"It's **just** like you to try and manipulate people to focus on what's convenient for **you** at the moment; however **I** shan't fall for your ploy **Lina Inverse**!" The ice sorceress interrupted with a declaration while pointing and striking a dramatic and eerily familiar pose as her cape flared behind her. "**You're** planning to use the distraction of Miss Fillia's arrival to lead the subject matter away from the scrumptious details of you running off to elope with Katibree, am I right…?" She concluded with a victorious smile.

The sorcery genius was at a loss for words, she couldn't decide whether she should be annoyed or impressed…

The golden dragon looked back and forth from one girl to the other. "Miss Lina… has eloped with someone named… Katibree…?" She repeated unsurely before finally settling a questioning gaze on the flustered redhead.

Zelgadis and Amelia, both grateful for the impromptu tension breaker, couldn't help but join in on the fun.

(Z) "Well, that does sound like a typical Lina tactic, wouldn't you say Amelia?" Zelgadis considered with a hand on his stony chin.

"Um hum, Um hum…" The youngest Seyruun princess agreed while nodding with her arms folded and eyes closed in mock solemness.

"**Argh**! First of all, I didn't 'elope' with **anyone**…!" Lina finally blurted with a growing blush. "It's not like I ran off and secretly got married or anything…"

(F) "Well to be perfectly honest Miss Lina, I always figured you to be too violent to ever actually settle down with anyone …" The golden dragon replied lightly before catching the withering glare the sorcery genius shot her at the comment. "Eh hem. Anyway, what kind of name is 'Katibree'…?" She asked, hurriedly changing the subject while making her way behind the bar. "The name certainly isn't a typical one, especially not for a male."

"Well… that is… urm…" The redhead stammered with an ever deepening blush.

(N) "What our companion of most diminutive stature is trying to say is: The name doesn't sound masculine because it **isn't** masculine and neither is the owner of the name." The dark haired vixen explained happily and unwantedly in the sorcery genius' stead.

"Not… masculine…?" Fillia repeated with a raised eyebrow. "As in… not… a male…? She ventured with some hesitation after studying the redhead a moment.

"Bingo." The Seyruun Princess', Zel, and Sylphiel affirmed in union.

"….Well that does figure I suppose." The dragon priestess finally replied with a shrug.

"Wha-hawh! And just what exactly is **that** supposed to mean?!" Lina exclaimed while overturning a chair with a swing of her arm, much to the amusement of her on looking companions.

"Relax Miss Lina, all I'm saying is… I think it's good that you're so in touch with yourself now is all…" Fillia said while holding out her hands in a warding gesture and stifling a laugh.

The redhead folded her arms and gave the golden dragon a cross look. "I'm not sure I liked **that** answer much **better**."

The former fire dragon king priestess couldn't help but giggle at this remark_. I guess Miss Luna was correct; it seems her younger sister has done some maturing…_ "Anyway, as long as we're on the subject, is she the young elven woman that I was told showed up at the sanctuary to inform you she was done with her investigation?" She asked while rummaging behind the bar for supplies to make tea. "I really couldn't see you getting involved with someone who wasn't an adventurer as well… or at the very least someone who is capable of fighting her way out of the messes that you tend to drag the people closest to you into…" She continued lightly as she began to heat some water. _Incidentally…we seem to be missing a member of the old gang…_ She added to herself silently.

Lina began to bristle at the blonde haired girl's comments once more before thinking better of it. _Well her logic as far as that goes is pretty much right on point, as much as I hate to admit it…_ She thought to herself while scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "…Yeah, that was her." She finally admitted audibly with a shy glance in the direction of the backroom that the half drow had yet to return from.

"I see." The golden dragon priestess replied pleasantly while poking at the tea leaves now boiling in the water. _I know that Mr. Gourry and Miss Lina were quite fond of each other, did things not go well once this newest development of Miss Lina falling for another came to light?_ "Well, is she out on another errand? If she is around I would certainly like to meet her." _From what I've learned of Miss Sylphiel during her short stay at the tower, she seems to be quite fond of Mr. Gourry as well…Perhaps this is what the dispute that I walked in on was about?_ She pondered while bending down to take a whiff of the soothing aroma wafting up from the brewing tea with a content little smile.

"She… um… well, yeah…" Lina managed oh so eloquently. "I'll… go get her…" She added quietly before heading to the backroom to check on Katibree.

"Oh how positively wonderful!" Fillia replied cheerfully while beginning to pour some tea. _Regardless of whether my concerns are founded or not… based on the mood of the room when I arrived and the absence of Mr. Gourry; it seems it would be best to avoid the subject all together..._ She deducted while holding out the cup of tea to a still noticeably tense Sylphiel with a smile. "Tea anyone…?"

"Oh, yes please." The High priestess in training replied, immediately brightening in demeanor as she took the steaming cup of liquid.

(A) "Yes please, it smells wonderful Miss Fillia!" Amelia agreed exuberantly.

(N) "Hum, I wonder how that would go with rum." Naga wondered aloud.

(A) "Haven't you had enough to drink yet Gracia…?" The younger Seyruun princess chided.

(Z) "Sure, I'll take a cup." The mystical swordsman said with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Lina made her way back to the washing area to find the washroom empty. "Figures…" She said with a little smile as she spotted a partially open window and walked over to it before opening it all the way and poking her head outside. "Your presence is requested, Dear." She called up to the half elf currently sulking on the roof teasingly.

A moment later Katibree stuck her head over the edge to look at the sorceress with an un-amused expression. "Nels Rada want to thank me for letting her keep all her teeth…?"

"No…" The redhead answered while stifling a laugh.

"Not interested then." The ex-assassin deadpanned, once again removing her face from view.

"Come on Kat, don't be like that…" The sorcery genius called back, still looking up with a pout. "Sylphiel's just kind of confused right now, she's never done anything like that before, and I'm sure she'll apologize once she's worked some stuff out in her head…"

"………."

Lina rustled her crimson colored mane with a sigh at the answering silence. "And besides, Fillia's done with all her stuffy priestess stuff back at the sanctuary and finally showed up… She really wants to meet you…" She continued.

"…………"

"….So now that I can finally show off and brag about my hawt, shiny haired, blue skinned vixen of a half elf girlfriend without having to worry, you're gonna go and turn into an invisible one on me?" The sorcery genius teased with a lazy smirk.

The half drow rolled her lavender colored eyes at this, unable to help but smile. "Alright, alright, alright." She finally conceded with a deep sigh.

The redhead backed away from the window with a grin as she watched the half elf levitate down from the roof before hopping back inside and closing the window behind her. "You promise to behave?"

"You know I'm always polite when first meeting people unless I have a reason not to be."

"I wasn't talking about Fillia and you know it, Kat."

"I'm not going to go out there and start slapping Nels Rada around or anything if that's what you mean."

"Silent murderous glares are more of your style actually, and none of those either…" The redhead reiterated. "…I really just want to start being my true self around my friends again finally, you know…?"

"Yeah Red, I know." The half drow replied with a small smile. "Best behavior, I promise."

"You'd better!" Lina joked before leaning in and stealing a quick kiss. "Comeon, there's celebrating to be done!" She added before turning and heading for the exit of the washroom with the mostly platinum haired warrior following a few steps behind.

As Lina made her way into the bar area, the ex-assassin stayed just out of sight for her introduction.

"And without further ado Fillia…" The sorcery genius began with a slight blush. "…Katibree Do'Urden."

(Z) "Hum… I didn't know Lina even knew how to be so formal…"

(A) "Me neither…" Amelia replied with an amused expression as the half drow came into view.

(N) "Put a crown on a commoner, and she's still a commoner." Naga replied dismissively before taking a drink of tea splashed with rum. "Hum… not bad" She commented while studying the contents of the cup.

Fillia remained wordless where she sat, but the expression on her face had changed dramatically. _That…that appearance…. The hair… the skin…_ She thought to herself in disbelief and growing horror.

(L) "Um… Fillia…? Are you feeling o - -"

"D… Did you say her last name was…Do'Urden…?" Fillia interrupted never taking her eyes off of the half elf.

"Y-Yeah… why…?" The redhead faltered.

"First… you befriend and force me to work with that…wretched… **being** Xellos… And now you've gone and endeared yourself to **this**??" The golden dragon blurted as she shot up right, nearly knocking over the table while slowly clenching her fists.

"Whoa Fillia…easy!" The sorcery genius tried to explain as she quickly put two and two together in her head. _Fillia's a golden dragon priestess, she allot older than she looks… chances are…_

"Do **not** tell me to go **easy**!" The blonde haired girl exclaimed as her orange tail sprouted out from behind her, now clearly visible under her skirt. "Elves taken at birth, twisted and corrupted by the pure essence of Shabranigdo for the purpose of **war**… skin darkened by the taint, hair drained of color at the abandonment of their very souls….!"

(A)"M…Miss Lina… What is… Miss Fillia… talking about?" Amelia asked somewhat fearfully.

(F) "What I'm **talking** about is the **Resurrection** war!" **Thousands** of corrupted elves deemed 'Drow elves', hand picked by the Dark Lord **himself**, killed _**thousands**_ of my people during that horrible battle!"

(Z) "Drow elves…?" _Hum, that explains why no one has ever been able to tell what type of elf she is… and why she never told anyone…_

(N) "Resurrection War?" Naga implored more to herself than anyone else.

(L) _Technically that was her ancestors that were responsible for that, but I'm sure telling her that won't help the situation any right now…_ Lina thought to herself with a sweat-drop. "Just calm down and let me explain…!" She tried again with a warding gesture before glancing over at Katibree who remained expressionless as well as motionless.

"And what's worse, the name Do'Urden is the drow family name of some of the **highest** ranked general's in Shabranigdo's army! A bloodline of warriors handpicked and even **revered** for their bloodlust, heartlessness, and sheer **destructive** power... How **dare** you even bring this scourge of the world's _**filth**_ into my sight?!" Fillia continued in a growing frenzy, eyes beginning to glow.

The half drow's eyebrow twitched slightly and her lavender colored gaze lowered to the floor at this, a glimpse of shame flashing for an instant within them.

At this Lina had heard enough and her eyes snapped back to the golden dragon in barely checked anger. "_**Enough**_. **Fillia**." She commanded through clenched teeth as her ruby colored eyes blazed.

The golden dragon priestess fell silent and she couldn't help but swallow reflexively as the sorceress held her azure colored gaze with her own piercing ruby colored stare and was abruptly reminded why even Mazoku feared the fiery redhead.

(K) "...Well that went well." Katibree noted humorlessly. "Now if you'll excuse me, this 'scourge of the world's filth' is going to find some place else to defile with merely her unwanted heritage." At this she bowed stiffly to Fillia from where she was and then walked briskly past her and out of the establishment without another word.

Straining to keep her anger in check and resisting the urge to go after the half elf, the sorcery genius spoke in as calm of a tone as she could muster. "I understand that your kind has suffered in the past Fillia, but the ones that did this to them… It… it just **isn't** who she is and it never **was**."

"If you'd taken the time to notice, she's **half** drow, by the coloration alone it's easy, to tell, especially the eyes. **Also**, if you'd taken the time to **notice**, the legends say that the eyes of the Drow elves were all blood red, **just** like the color of Ruby eyed Shabranigdo **himself**… and besides… do you really think I'd be willing to be with anyone who was even remotely proud of the lineage you just described, let alone a **part** of it…?"

"You have every right to be angry with Katibree's ancestors, but when you attack her as if she were directly responsible for any of it…" Lina took in a sharp breath before continuing. "That…_**That's**_ where I draw the **line**!" She exclaimed more loudly than she intended. "….Katibree has beaten herself up with enough shame, and self hate all on her own to warrant the need of judgment by **any** of you." She added in almost a whisper.

(F) "M-Miss Lina… I didn't….I-I'm sor- - " The golden dragon began.

(L) "I'm going to bed." Lina interrupted quietly. "I'm tired of fighting with friends tonight." She added even more quietly.

At this the redhead turned and began to walk to the inn area of the establishment.

(A) "But, Miss Lina.... what about Miss Katibree, aren't you going too - -?" The younger Seyruun princess called after her in decided distress.

"It wouldn't do any good." Lina called back. _She wants to be alone._ She added mentally to remind herself as well.

The stunned and gloomy group sat together in complete silence for several minutes before Amelia finally spoke. "W-what just happened??" She suddenly blurted with tears in her eyes. "Why is everyone suddenly so angry with each other? This... was supposed to be a celebration..." She added more quietly.

(F) "**Oooh**, I really screwed up didn't **I**....?!" The golden dragon priestess groaned with her head in her arms on the table.

(Z) "Definitely." Zelgadis replied absently, still very deep in thought. "Hum." He grunted while standing from his stool. _I definitely need to speak with Lina. With what Fillia has just revealed and Xellos hanging around..._ The chimera continued to himself with a small frown.

(A) "I know that grunt Mr. Zelgadis, you've figured something out haven't you...?" The cerulean eyed princess asked, already knowing what the expression on his face would be before she even looked at him.

"...It's nothing, but tonight was pretty much a washout so I'm heading to bed." The mystical swordsman replied. "You should try and get some sleep too Amelia." He added as he walked off with a wave.

_He's definitely figured something out... I can't do much about that right now, but maybe I can take the time to try and talk to Gracia now…_ The younger Seyruun princess thought to herself before turning to her older sister. "Gracia... I've... been trying to wait for you to be ready to talk but- -"

"Talk? What is there to talk about Amelia...?" Naga interrupted with a forced yawn. "Anyway, I think everyone's right... sleep sounds like a wondrous idea." She added as she got up from her stool and headed toward the rooming area before Amelia could say anything else.

"But... Graci...a...?" _Better to just let her go, if I push too hard she might just disappear again, this is the first time she hasn't run or tried to use some disguise when she's seen me... Is she just around for Miss Lina...?_ The younger sister wondered to herself in frustration. "I'm surrounded by secrets..." She said to no one in particular. "……….It's ok Miss Fillia, Miss Lina may not seem like it, but she's really a very caring person. She wouldn't abandon a friend over a misunderstanding." The younger priestess commented almost off handedly to the distraught golden dragon before she left to head to her own room.

"....Thank you, Miss Amelia." Fillia whispered into her arms on the table gratefully, not knowing of if the Seyruun princess had even heard her or not.

Upstairs, Lina entered her room and shut the door behind her, leaning back against it for a moment with her eyes closed while letting out a deep sigh. "Damn." She swore before pushing herself off of the door and walking over to the bed before flopping down on it face first. "Everything's still so screwed up…" She whispered into the bed spread. "Never simple… always so damn complicat - -"

Knock-knock-knock

"Damn…" The sorcery genius swore once again while sitting up on the bed. "It's unlocked Zel." She replied matter of factly. _I figured he'd come to me about it tomorrow… this must really have him bothered… _She thought to herself as the door opened and a grim looking mystical swordsman stepped through the door.

"Did you know anything about what Fillia said just now, Lina?" Zelgadis asked while shutting the door quietly behind him.

Lina stifled a smile at this. _Same old Zelgadis, no nonsense and straight to the point as always. _"We'll not in that amount of detail… but, yes basically." She replied with a slight rustle of her crimson colored mane.

"Is she a threat?" The chimera asked bluntly after leaning back against the door.

"If I thought Katibree was a threat to the team, I wouldn't have withheld the information about her lineage Zel. You know that." Lina replied with a sigh.

"**Do** I? Xellos wasn't following you two for his **health**, and he's not following all of us now for the hell of it either." Zelgadis replied while folding his arms. "What else have you neglected to tell us Lina? **Spill** it."

The redhead turned her head to look out the window in silence a moment before finally answering. "It's not that I was hiding this from any of you really… I just didn't mention it because… well Kat's had a really rough past, and finally finding out about where she came from has just made it that much harder for her..." _I know she's out there training right now, pushing herself until she's nearly too exhausted to stand anymore… Sometimes it's the only way she can sleep, but even then there are still the nightmares… It's always like that when she's this ups- -_

"Lina?" The mystical swordsman asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry about that Zel. Guess I zoned out there for a second…" The sorceress admitted with a small laugh while rubbing the back of her neck.

Zelgadis's expression softened a bit at this. _This must be pretty hard for her… _He thought with a quiet sigh. "………Look, I know you must be worried about her right now, but this is something that the entire team deserves to know. We've never had a problem supporting you, but we need to know exactly what we're dealing with to be properly prepared for whatever may happen."

"…I know…I know…" Lina admitted before looking down at her hands currently folded in her lap. "What it comes down to is, I meant what I said before about not really meaning to keep it from you guys. It's just that… it's something she's ashamed of, and that I knew she'd prefer to keep from being common knowledge to every one.

And on top of that… the look on her face whenever the subject is brought up…" The sorcery genius trailed off to finally look up at the chimera while struggling to explain how she was feeling. "It… It feels like….. a knife is going through my heart every time I see it." She finally managed with a pained expression.

Zelgadis broke eye contact and stared out a window uncomfortably at this. _Was this side of her always there…? That's beside the point, I can't let myself be sidetracked. _He reprimanded himself sternly while resisting the urge to go to her side on the bed. "Your feelings aren't relevant if they can end up costing the life of a team mate, you still haven't answered my question Lina; Is Katibree dangerous to us or not?" He reiterated coolly while still gazing out the window.

Lina's ruby colored eyes widened at the implications of what the mystical swordsman had just said, and her hands clenched the comforter reflexively. _Have I really been endangering them all…?_

She sat on the bed in shocked silence for a long moment before finally composing herself as the chimera waited quietly, still gazing out the window. "Alright Zel, I'm… really not sure of the answer to your question. I mean, I know she isn't a threat to us now; but at the same time… I don't know what to expect in the future. It's really complicated, there's allot of potential factors to consider."

"That makes sense, she is half human, but at the same time she's half drow…" Zelgadis mused out loud. "Alright, so what are you intending to do?" He finally inquired, turning his eyes to meet Lina's once more.

"Well… I don't have a specific plan of action yet; but I do have a few theories to work with and, then plans of action can be formed for those completed theories." The sorcery genius answered, the normally unwavering resolve in her eyes restored once more.

The mystical swordsman couldn't help but smirk at this while shoving himself off the door he'd been leaning against. "Now there's the Lina I'm used to. What have you got?" He asked while pulling over a chair and taking a seat in front of her.

Meanwhile in a deeply forested location several miles from the inn....

Katibree abruptly stopped her rigorous training routine, and slowly leaned her forehead against the tree she'd been using, dropping her arms to her sides to hang near her sheathed slicers while looking over at the shadow approaching her through the trees from a distance.

"Gabriev. Just the man I expected to see." The mostly platinum haired warrior observed almost whimsically.

"Draw your weapons." The swordsman savant replied bluntly as he continued to advance.

"You know, tonight really hasn't been the best night for either of us... you sure it's a good night to 'spar'?" Katibree commented with a mostly platinum colored eyebrow raised.

"Draw your weapons or I'll cut you down where you stand unarmed." The blonde haired warrior replied never slowing his pace as he spoke.

"If that were your style, maybe I'd be interested." The ex-assassin scoffed.

Gourry scowled at this and raised his weapon to aim the empty hilt at the half elf. "Light come forth!" He bellowed as a pillar of horizontal searing white light shot out.

The half drow, who had just barely managed to dodge to the side glanced back at the massive path of destruction the sword of light had cause in one blast, while flipping out her blades. _That attack definitely had bloodlust in it... but I couldn't sense it before it happened... __**Interesting**__._

"Are you interested now?" Gourry asked matter of factly as Gorunova's light blade reformed.

Katibree smirked at this, and Chiba and Murakami blazed an angry crimson in reply...


	69. Chapter 69

**Flashes in the Twilight**

The two master swordsmen stood roughly 20 feet apart from one another, as cool lavender colored eyes locked with hardened sky blue ones and charred remnants of leaves that had been stirred up by the previous blast from Gorunova fluttered down around them.

Katibree silently studied the blonde warrior who had yet to even take a combat stance, but merely clenched the sword of light in his right hand which had dropped back to his side while glaring at her.

After a moment more of silence between the two, the half drow twirled her blades and rolled her eyes. "What's the _matter_ Gabriev, you've finally got my _attention _so... Didn't you have in mind what you came here to do before you went through the trouble of tracking me _down_...?"

The swordsman savant narrowed his piercing blue eyes and clenched his jaw in a barely noticeable gesture, but was otherwise eerily quiet and still made no further movements.

Meanwhile back at the Inn...

Both Lina and Zelgadis glanced up from their work as a flash of light temporarily illuminating the night caught their attention through the window.

The mystical swordsman was the first to get up as a distant rumbling boom followed the flash. "Thunder and lightening...?" He inquired while peering up at the inky looking sky through the window, a perplexed expression passing across his handsome stoney features.

The sorcery genius remained seated on the bed amongst the various parchments, books, and Twinkle, which she and the chimera had just been working on analyzing; while wordlessly scrutinizing the darkness as well, a book still held partially open in her lap.

"I could have sworn the storm from earlier had long since passed..." The chimera continued to muse as the redhead finally closed her book and made her way to his side for a better look at the starless sky as well.

"That **is** odd..." Lina agreed as her ruby colored gaze slowly moved from the sky to eventually settle on the forest canopy several miles off in the distance, her brow furrowing slightly as a look of worry flashed briefly across her face and a chill ran down her spine.

Back in the seclusion of the forest...

_First __**Xellos**__ shows and hurls a __**shit**__ mountain into a hurricane for his own __**amusement,**__ and then takes off leaving Red to clean up the mess, __**then**__...__ Nels __**Rada**__ freaks out and __**slaps**__ her, __**then**__ Ul' Copt goes off the __**deep**__ end about my __**ancestry**__...And now... __**this**__. _The half drow thought, working herself into a silent thinly checked frenzy as she began to pace back and forth, her weapons still drawn and glowing angrily as the larger warrior's gaze followed her movements silently. "Well, **what**...?" She finally snapped after a moment more. "Are you here to... give me a...'sound **beating**' and hopefully prove to Lina that it's really **you** that deserves her affections...?" She prodded with growing impatience. "Or did you come all this way just to lose your **nerve**."

"The only _coward_ here, is _you_." The larger warrior retorted quietly.

"_**What**_ was _that_..?" The half elf further bristled, stopping her pacing to cock her head slightly as if to more clearly hear the obvious insult.

"You **heard** me, I called you a **coward**." Gourry reiterated more loudly, beginning to advance once again, this time more slowly. "You did all that acting like we were friends this **whole** time; And now I hear what's **really** been going on behind my _**back**_..."

Katibree scoffed and gestured with an dismissive flip of her blades at this as the two began to circle each other. "Oh **yeah**, like from the very start this was _all_ meant to be some **big** carefully planned-"

"_**Say**_ what you **want**, but a _**real**_ warrior would have at _least_ had the decency to tell me to my _**face**_ a long time ago!" Gourry interrupted heatedly.

The half elf bit her tongue at the additional insult before slowly letting out a sigh in an attempt to calm herself. "Look, I _agree_ that you should have been told sooner, but you really do seem to be mistaking _**kindness**_ for cowardice, Gabriev."

The larger warrior balked at this, stopping in his tracks again before beginning to chuckle bitterly. "**K**-**kindness**?" He exclaimed in disbelief, the chuckle turning into uneven laughter as he slapped a palm to his forehead in dark mirth. "Then I guess... I guess that means I should be _thanking_ you!" He darkly joked before giving a shallow bow and a theatrical flip of the sword of light, his eyes still locked with the opposing master swordsman's. "**Thank** you... **thank** you for smiling to my face, and then **stabbing** me in the **back**...!" He finished with a snarl.

The mostly platinum haired warrior stopped circling as well before sighing once more while maneuvering a slicer in her grasp just enough to carefully rub a temple with an extended forefinger. "When... will you get it through that _thick_ skull of yours that we never meant for things to turn out this way...? We... we were just trying to figure out the right time and place to tell you... But unfortunately, Xellos beat us to it." She finally managed in growing exasperation.

The swordsman savant expression merely darkened further. "**We**? _**Us**_? As in **you** and _**Lina**_...? There shouldn't even be a **you** _**period**_! Lina and **I** were doing just fine before **you** came around and screwed **everything** _**up**_!" He exclaimed gesturing at her with his weapon.

"**Oh** you're trying to put _**ALL**_ of this on **me**...?" The half drow exploded as the last of her patience for the entire hellish evening went up in flames. "How long were you walking around with that **damned** _**engagement**_ ring on you...? **Hum**? _**Months**_...? _**YEARS**_?" She accused while beginning to pace once more in agitation. "**You** could have gotten an answer out of Lina about her feelings for you **any** time you **wanted** and both you **and** I damn well_**know**_it!"

The blonde master swordsman faltered slightly at this before answering. "...I had my reasons for waiting, don't pretend like you can understand, I've known Lina way **longer** than **you** have!"

"Yeah I think I do understand actually... but that leaves the question, who's actually the coward _now_?" Katibree began to muse out loud, de-energizing Chiba a moment to tap the flat of it against her her chin in mock thought.

"You watch your **mouth**..." Gourry warned.

"**NO**, _**you**_ started this, _**you**_ came after me with your indignant **bullshit**, so let's just put it all on the **table**." "The ex-assassin challenged while recharging Chiba with a fresh flash of anger at the swordsman savant's warning. "Because **I'm** willing to bet that the reason you waited so **long** to propose wasn't because you weren't sure if Lina was **ready**... it's because you were **afraid** of what her **answer** would be; Isn't that _**right**_...?"

"_**No**_, that's... that's not **true**...!" The swordsman savant refuted with an agitated swing of Gorunova.

"_All_ that hesitation for fear of, at **worse...** a flat out rejection... and at **best** an acceptance based on pure **pity**." The half elf continued, practically spitting out the word 'pity'.

"That's **enough**! You don't know that for **sure**..!" The larger warrior argued back, his face beginning to redden with growing anger, and perhaps some embarrassment.

"**Really**? Do you even believe what you've just said **yourself**...?" Katibree demanded with growing ire. "Because the way **I'm** seeing it, **you're** standing over there with all your...**empty** accusations like I... like I **snatched** Lina _**right**_ from your arms on **wedding** **day**..." She continued, first pointing rapidly at him as she spoke.."Like I **took** something that was _**yours**_..." The ex-assassin reiterated in still growing outrage, while now beginning to jab her own chest angrily with a finger to stress her points. "And yet **she** pursued **me**, _**not**_ the other way _**around**_, Gabriev...!"

"Just... just..._shut_ up..." Gourry said in a broken whisper, slowly beginning to shake his head in denial.

"How do you _really_ think that little **proposal** you had planned would have **gone**...?" The half drow inquired uninterrupted.

"I _**said**_..." The blonde warrior continued to try and refute as he began to tremble with anger, the smaller warriors words sinking in, stinging him like hornets.

"...When she'd already... **hemmed** and **hawed** about your ass for **nearly**six_**years**_..." The mostly platinum haired warrior continued more rapidly, knowing that it was time to let up, but just being too far gone to care anymore.

The larger warrior continued to try to talk over the smaller warrior and drown out her words as he clasped his hands to the top of his head with sword still in hand. "**shut**..."

"and then turned around and chose **me** over you in a matter of _**months**_...?"

"**the** **HELL** _**UP**_...!" The swordsman savant finally threw back his head and roared at the heavens as a yellow battle aura flashed and then erupted out from around him before he slowly lowered his seething, tear brimming gaze at Katibree and yanked Gorunova down and out to his side, the sword doubling in brightness as a torrent of blue energy began to howl around it.

The ex-assassin's lavender colored eyes flicked briefly to Gorunova, noting the change in the sword's appearance and then locked once more with the larger master swordsman's blistering glare, readying her weapons with a small click of her teeth as a red and orange aura first glowed around her and then radiated out with a violent blast in answer to her opponent's. "Well _**come**_ on with it **then**." She spat contemptuously.

"**Rrrrrr**..._**RRAAaaaarrrgGHHH**_!" Gourry first growled and then roared in unadulterated rage with a mighty two handed diagonal swing of Gorunova, a huge blast of white energy surrounded by a whirlwind of crackling blue energy firing at the mostly platinum haired warrior as he charged behind his own attack at her in a dead sprint.

"**Just remember that you brought this on yourself Gabriev**!" The half drow shouted while crossing and swinging her blades, sending her own blast of red and orange, X shaped energy shooting out to meet the opposing massive whitish blue energy wave.

The energies collided, but the blast from Gorunova over-took and vaporized the shot from Chiba and Murakami before continuing to hurtle at the ex-assassin who was forced to dodge to the side at the last second and simultaneously twist in mid air to block a vicious two handed downward swing from the sword of light as Gourry emerged from the tail end of the searing blast.

Even blocking with both blades, the still partially airborne smaller warrior was hammered into the ground by the momentum and raw power of the swordsman savant's cleave with such velocity that she slammed into it and then bounced with a grunt, her back leaving a cracked impression within the earth beneath her.

Gourry, sprinting in pursuit of the still reeling half elf who was still in mid-bounce from the first attack, spun his sword, pointing the blade downward and leapt while Katibree arched her back, flipping with her hands and using the momentum of the fall before landing on her feet once again facing her opponent while still skidding backwards as the blonde haired warrior's blade of energy stabbed into the ground where she had just been.

As the swordsman savant's blade penetrated the ground, buried over halfway to it's hilt, Katibree shot a blast of energy behind her to stop her backward momentum and fly forward, closing the gap between them in the blink of an eye while spinning with a flurry of attacks as the still crouching larger warrior yanked his sword out of the ground just in time to shield his exposed throat with the still down turned blade before standing and seamlessly flipping it right side up once more, all the while rapidly parrying the onslaught of flashing crimson blades while backpedaling for a better position.

Behind the two ferociously battling warriors, the white and blue beam that had been fired from the sword of light less than a moment ago, connected with something large enough and detonated, incinerating countless trees and sending large debris hurtling well above the forest canopy.

Back at the inn..

Both Lina and Zelgadis started at the massive explosion in the distance.

"So much for the thunder and lightening theory!" The mystical swordsman exclaimed, throwing open the window. "What in the **world** was _**that**_!"

The sorcery genius didn't reply, merely continuing to stare out the window with a growing look of concern on her face. _That explosion just now... it almost looked like a shot from The Sword..of Light..but why would Gourry even be all the way out there at this time of night-_

"There's _definitely_ some sort of _fight_ going on..." The chimera deducted while grabbing his broadsword and clipping it to his belt to go and investigate before faltering as he glanced over and saw the look of worry on the still motionless redhead's face transform to fear. "Lina...?"

"Oh... _**no**_..." The sorcery genius breathed, the color beginning to drain from her face, as what was just a bad feeling before finally turned into a realization of what the commotion going on in the woods most likely was.

"Lina... what's wrong...?" Zelgadis asked apprehensively.

"...They're, they're going to try and _**kill**_ each other..!" Lina suddenly exclaimed raggedly, clamping both hands to the sides of her head in full blown panic.

"**What**...? _**Who**_?" the chimera balked in confusion.

_This isn't going to just be some lighthearted **duel**...they're seriously going to try and **kill** each other over this whole mess **Xellos** instigated! _The redhead reiterated to herself, her ruby colored eyes shifting back and forth franticly as her thoughts went a mile a second.

"_**Lina!**_" The mystical swordsman interjected sharply while roughly shaking the redhead's shoulder, finally snapping her out of her thoughts.

The sorcery genius turned her head and blinked at him as if she'd forgotten who he even was.

"**Who** is trying to kill **who**? What are you _**talking**_ about, Lina?"

"They're **fighting** because of **me**, this is going to be a _**disaster**_...!" The redhead exclaimed in a haggard and breaking voice more to herself than to the mystical swordsman, now clasping a white gloved hand to her face. _Well.. I __**can't**__ just __**stand**__ here!_

Zelgadis sighed loudly in exasperation at this. "They **who**-"

"I-I've _**got**_ to find a way to _**STOP**_ **this**!" The sorcery genius blurted while vaulting out the open window and immediately tearing off into the night with a Ray Wing so powerful the mystical swordsman had to shield his eyes with his arms as the gust from the open window sent parchments whizzing around the room.

"Oh." The chimera suddenly deadpanned in realization. "**OH**..." He added with his eyes widening slightly while catching on to the further implications of what this meant before glancing over at several hurried knocks at the chamber door. _This really __**could**__ be bad... _He added mentally while lowering his arms as the papers finally began to settle around him, rustling his wiry hair in indecision before deciding against following the frantic redhead and dealing with the confusion the ruckus had caused at the inn as quickly as possible first. _I assume the entire gang is awake and right outside for a debriefing anyway, and we may need some strong healers here very soon if Lina is unable to __**diffuse**__ this somehow... _The chimera thought to himself grimly as he finally strode to answer the door.

Meanwhile already a good distance from the Inn...

Lina shot through the night sky, her fiery tresses and cape trashing behind her chaoticly in the stinging, chilly wind as her thoughts still raced faster than she could ever fly. _They're __**still**__ so far away! Come-__**on**__ faster __damn__**it**__, __**faster**__! _She willed herself, suddenly dropping dangerously in altitude as she recklessly stopped her Raw Wing spell to activate her talismans while in free-fall. _Go go __**go**__**go**__**GO**__...! _"_**Ray**_** Wing**!" She re-casted, stopping herself less than a foot from the ground as a torrential wind surged outward, dislodging large chunks of rock and earth and the sorcery genius blasted forward once again, the amplified flight spell now propelling her at three times the original speed as she gained altitude once more.

_I can tell the fights' not over because I can still see the energy exchanges through the trees in the distance, that's __**good**__ because it means they're both still __**alive**__ and capable of __defending themselves... _The redhead deducted with some small if not morbid comfort.

_But what am I going to __**do**__ when I get there? What am I gonna __**say**__? For __**all**__ I know me showing up could just make them want to kill each other even __**more**__... _She continued while beginning to bite into her lower lip unconsciously and drawing a bit of blood.

_I don't know if I can even get through to them with words as __**pissed**__ as they both are right now... And any __**spell**__ I cast is most likely going to be __**useless**__ because it's dodged or __deflected, or __**worse**__**absorbed**__ and used to escalate the damn __**fight**__! What __**options**__ does that leave me then? __**Think**__ Lina, __**think**__...!_

Further ahead at the battleground...

Clash after clash rang out in the lifting veil of night, crimson and bluish white sparks flying each time the master swordsmen's weapons met, the attacks so furious at times that the impacts almost sounded like one continuous noise as the opponents parried, jabbed, and feinted for the upper hand with blinding speed, bounding back and forth between various boulders and trees as they warred.

They both leapt at one another, meeting in mid-air high above the forest floor for another flashing exchange as they passed before landing opposite each other on opposing tree limbs, the smaller warrior unleashing a volley of crimson energy blasts from her extended blade that the larger warrior deflected in a blur before sprinting across the limb he was on and springing at his opponent with a multitude of two handed swings. The half elf weaved and bobbed avoiding the assault as she charged the bottoms of her boots for a boost and leapt, sailing high into the air as the tree she had just been standing on was diced to pieces from the mere aftershocks of the larger master swordsman's attacks and fell to the ground below in large splinters.

High above the canopy now, Katibree de-energized and sheathed her blades before cupping her hands with a growl starting deep within her throat, a ball of red and black energy forming between them and rapidly beginning to expand in size. Her lavender eyes flashed red momentarily as she held the ball of crackling energy above her and it swelled to the size of a carriage as she began reflexively phasing from one point in the sky to another dodging rapid blasts from the sword of light below, her lavender eyes flashing an angry blood red with each teleport.

The half drow then chucked the gigantic ball of red and black crackling energy with a feral scream as Gourry looked up with a frown and extended Gorunova, absorbing the attack with effort before immediately firing it back in the form of a beam that the half drow phased once more to dodge, blinking back in behind him and unsheathing and re-energizing her blades once more as he spun to counter her new flurry of attacks with a growl of his own.

They were both riddled with sporadic cuts and bruises accumulated during the fight, but didn't appear to be feeling the effects of the injuries or even seem winded as they battled, the smaller warrior's attacks getting even faster as she began enhancing every slice and spin with her newly found reserves of dark energy...

Beginning to have trouble keeping up with the new frenzied pace, the swordsman savant went totally defensive, concentrating grimly while parrying and deflecting attacks with one hand, the sword of light beginning to change to the same crimson color as the ex-assassin's own charged blades with each deflection as he back pedaled before reaching down with his left hand and unsheathing his secondary 2 handed sword in a fluid motion, flipping it upright and clanging both weapons together to transfer the charge the light sword had gathered from Chiba and Murakami over to the normal sword and then pressing forward on the offensive once more, both two handed weapons now a red and bluish white blur as they clashed in time with the smaller blazing red slicers, the two master swordsmen battling back and forth, once again on equal footing.

Meanwhile a moment ago as Lina was closing in on the outright war at breakneck speeds...

_Gods I can already feel the blood-lust from here..._ She noted in dismay before faltering and slowing her flight as she caught a glimpse of a figure shooting high above the trees and teleporting multiple times to avoid searing white and blue energy blasts while charging a large ball of unfamiliar looking energy and sending in hurtling into the forest below. "K-Katibree...?" She identified in disbelief, as the figure phased from view a last time, narrowly avoiding the redirected counter energy shot. _Were her eyes-? _"I've got to put an **end** to this and _**quick!**_" The sorcery genius interrupted her thoughts audibly with renewed resolve, the disturbing mental question hurriedly pushed to the back of her mind as she closed the last of the distance and touched down several dozen yards from the battle, landing in a run.

"**Katibreeeee**, **Gouuuuryy**, you've _**got**_ to **stop** this!" The redhead cried, being forced to slow down as she collided with the battle auras of the two master swordsman before pressing her way through with a stagger while gritting her teeth. "This isn't who **either** of you **are**, so _**please**_ just **stop** this!" She shouted again while holding out her white gloved palms and trying to follow the master swordsmen's movements in vain, her brain leaping from one spell option to another in response to the warriors' nearly impossible to follow skirmish, but her mouth and body just unable to keep up as the two dashed and jumped back and forth, weapons clanging loudly with each joust.

_I…. I didn't even factor __**in**__ not being able to keep up with them __**period**__...! _Lina thought with a sharp mental curse before finally dropped her arms in frustration, her mind going into a second gear of overdrive as her fiery mane rustled even more wildly about her head and face from the sheer force of the increasingly strengthening radiating energies whistling towards and around her. "I'm _**TELLING**_ **you**, this _**isn't**_ _**WORTH**_ **it** –!"

"**Just** **STAY** **out** **of** **this** _**LINA!**_" Gourry bellowed back, interrupting her pleas as he thrust the sword of light at Katibree who ducked under the stab, closing the distance between them with a counter attack aimed at his midsection which he brought his secondary sword up to block, avoiding evisceration.

The redhead slowly began to drop to her knees in despair at this. _"Not..not for __**meeee**__...!" _She finished in a forlorn whisper while watching the two warriors continue their furious combat helplessly. _They ...they aren't holding __**back**__ at all, and that means this fight can __**only**__ end suddenly and __**horribly**__... What am I gonna __**do**__...? What __**can**__ I do.. Just let them tear at each others __**throats**__ until one of them is __**killed**__...? I-I can't just __**stand**__**by**__ and __**do THAT**__, I can't __**stand**__ the __**thought**__ of losing either __**Katibree**__**OR**__**Gourry**__...! _She thought to herself desperately while dropping her head and placing her hands on the ground while staring down at it.

…_...I...I... love them both too **much**... more than...**more** than life **itself **and they can't seem to **UNDERSTAND** that...! _The redhead screamed to herself in frustration as she clenched her fists, griping twin handfuls of soil within them.

_Watching the two most precious people to me in the **world** try and **destroy** each other is just... it's just **unbearable**... If they could fathom even a **fraction** of what I'm feeling right now... _The sorcery genius continued to exclaim desperately to herself before trailing off at that last thought as she lifted her head once more with a strange expression on her face as the answer came to her."This **fight** would end in a _**heartbeat**_." She finished audibly while slowly standing back up, her jaw tightening and her brow furrowing in ironclad resolution of her next course of action.

With a bit more thought, she adjusted her talismans absently before striding further into the raging haze of opposing energy gusts in the direction of the warring master swordsmen, having worked out the details of implementing her 'solution'.

Meanwhile, back at the Inn, a set of double doors to the establishment flew open and out dashed the remainder of the group led by Zelgadis, who had hurriedly explained the situation to them all while gathering supplies that may be needed. "**Ray** _**Wiiing**_!" He bellowed as Amelia, Naga, Sylphiel, and Fillia followed suit, taking to the air as well. "The fight still appears to be going on, which means Lina still hasn't been able to get things under **control**... this could end very **badly** so have your best healing spells at the ready!" The chimera called out over the sound of the wind rushing by them.

Naga, the two shrine maidens, and the dragon priestess all nodded wordlessly with varying levels of distress, concern, and fear ranging across their faces as they sped toward the scene of the conflict with dawn beginning to break.

High above the Inn, a familiar figure watched the team disappear on the horizon before teleporting down to the open window of Lina's now completely abandoned quarters, opening his amethyst mazoku slitted eyes with an extremely pleased smile at the sight of the trinket that had long since been left behind on the sorcery geniuses' bed amidst the various scattered parchments and books.

"Such a **tremendous** amount of planning and manipulation was required just to get her to slip up and let her guard down even **once**..." Xellos remarked wryly while entering the room. "You **truly** are **formidable**, Lina!" _I was hoping to avoid resorting to such drastic measures; as Beast Master would be __**most**__ displeased if I somehow managed to get the newest __**prospect**__ killed... _He thought to himself with a sweat drop. _**However**__, Lina __**has**__ always done whatever she deems __**necessary**__ to protect the ones closest to her heart; even when the situation is __**most**__ dire she still always seems to come out on top... _He continued to himself while retrieving the item he was after somewhat warily and placing it in a specialized container of some sort. "So no matter the odds of the house or the stakes, when in doubt, it's always best to bet on... Lina Inverse." He finished in amusement while fading from view.

Back at the now mostly demolished forested area, the sorcery genius invoked her talismans, having made the rest of her way into the midst of the chaos with a uncharacteristicly serious but familiar expression set on her petite features, her cape and fiery tresses trailing violently out behind her. "Time to put my money where my mouth is and _**end**_ this." She said in a strangely calm voice before casting a souped up wind barrier around herself. "**One** way, **or** the other." She added matter of factly as her intense ruby colored gaze flickered back and forth tracking the two master swordsmen's movements as they continuing their deadly scrape while casting a second barrier spell around the first and reinforcing it, a constant and rapid, but varying chant beginning to stream from her mouth as she deepened her concentration.

The two enraged warriors locked weapons once more, scowling at each other as the sparking weapons ground together before pushing off and separating once more, landing several dozen feet apart and stopping to charge their next energy volley.

_**Enough** is **ENOUGH.**_ Lina reiterated mentally while reinforcing the secondary barrier with one more and using every ounce of concentration she had to keep all the barriers up simultaneously, the chanting growing louder and her voice becoming strained and uneven while squeezing her eyes shut and frowning even more deeply as she struggled to maintain control of the overlapping spells.

As if on cue, Gorunova fired, echoing the roaring blast that Murakami and Chiba had just expelled.

The sorcery genius' ruby colored eyes flew open at the sound of the dual blasts and she inhaled sharply as the twin beams of opposing energy sped towards each other.

Then, as if the entire scene was happening in slow motion, a pair of now blazing red eyes and the opposing pair of baby blues widened in disbelief as the sorceress bolted forward and **threw** herself **directly** into path of the two gigantic waves of energy just before they collided.

Gourry gasped loudly and tried to force his beam up and out of the way at the last minute as Katibree desperately willed her own attack to disperse and veer off course as well, but it wasn't enough. The massive attacks impacted the fortified barriers with some resistance before beginning to vaporize one after the other while Lina strained within the middle of it all with a gasp followed by a wavering and haggard cry in the effort to hold each barrier firm, reinforcing them even as they disintegrated as long as possible until the final line of defense was obliterated.

Although a decent amount of the energy had been dampened and deflected before the last barrier gave out, the resulting explosion was still exceedingly violent.

Still, even as impressive as the detonation had been, when the energy, smoke, and debris began to clear, the petite, severely tattered figure of the sorcery genius could vaguely be seen through the dust, still standing in unadulterated defiance and sheer force of will in the midst of the aftermath of the explosion, her fiery orange mane having partially faded to silver starting at the very ends before stopping, giving it the look of a foxes' tail as she stood there with her arms still outstretched to either side of her in a warding gesture while gasping in uneven and ragged breaths.

Finally her legs unlocked she shuddered slightly before staggering and dropping to one knee, supporting herself by planting a hand on the ground as blood began to stream down her face while darkening and spreading in other countless areas of what was left of her shredded sorceress' gear as well.

Even in her current condition, still not done hammering home her point, the sorcery genius stubbornly lifted her burning ruby colored gaze and silently commanded eye contact with first one speechless warrior and then the other before speaking. "When... _**I**_... say **stop**..." She managed in between laboring breaths before coughing up a spurt of blood. "...I mean... _**stop**_... gods... gods damn _it_...!" She finished before her body gave out completely and she collapsed into the dirt.

The master swordsmen who had been rooted to their spots in shock at what had just transpired, screamed the redhead's name in mirrored horror as they both dropped their weapons and sprinted to her, Katibree arriving first, followed closely by Gourry as one and then the other slid to a stop on their knees to either side of her.

Katibree gently raised and cradled the smaller girl's upper body while Gourry placed his forehead on the redhead's chest in inexplicable grief from the opposite side of her.

"_Oh __**gods**__, what have I __**done**__?"_ The blonde haired warrior whispered into the ruined, bloodied fabric of Lina's sorcerers outfit.

"_Wha- **what** did you **do**...!"_ The mostly platinum haired warrior quietly exclaimed as tears brimmed and rolled down her cheeks. _"You **promised** me no more martyr bullshit!" _She hissed in mirrored grief of the swordsman savants', her eyes slowly returning back to their original lavender color.

"_I know...and I'm sorry, but you two...you left me no choice..." _The sorcery genius managed with a small laugh followed by a hiss as she sharply sucked air in through gritted teeth.

At this, the blonde haired warrior rose his head from the redhead's chest to look at her in confusion while choking back a sob. "What do you mean no choice **Lina**, why would you do _**this**_?"

"_Ida know..." _Lina said with a small shrug followed by a wince, before lifting her arms and placing a blood stained gloved hand first on the face of Katibree, and then the other on the face of Gourry with a weak but warm smile. "_I guess I just realized that I love you both more than life **itself**... And that... I really didn't care to live in a world... where the two of you tore each other **apart** just because of me..." _ She finished with a shaky but happy little sigh. "_I'm glad you two... finally quit fighting..." _She added with one last weak smile before both hands slowly trailed down either warrior's face, leaving twin streaks of blood until dropping all together as the redhead finally lost consciousness.

The two swordsmen looked up at each other in desperation at this.

"Can't... can't you do something with your **powers**?" The larger warrior asked. "We've **got** to **save** _**her**_!"

"My powers don't seem to work that way..." The half elf replied while gently lowering the unconscious redhead back to the ground. "Um let's see... healing power, flowing white..." She began, her fumbling first time attempt at the basic healing spell beginning to close a wound before it fizzled and the wound re-opened. "It's too _much_, **gods** there's so much _blood_... I don't know what to **do** Gourry..." She added while running her hands through her mostly platinum colored mane in growing panic.

"Well then we can't just **stay** here, we've got to get her some **help**!" The swordsman savant deducted hurriedly while reaching to pick the redhead up.

"Wait...!" Katibree blurted, with a 'halt' gesture.

"**What**? We **can't** waste anymore _**time, Katibree**_!"

"I **know**-I-**know** but Lina _**obviously**_ has massive internal injuries, just moving her the wrong way could _**kill**_ her...!" Katibree explained in a voice heavily strained with fear.

Gourry grew a bit pale at this. "...Well then **what** do we _**DO**_...?" He exclaimed while punching the ground with a fist in helplessness.

"You two just leave **Lina** to _**them**_..." Zelgadis answered gruffly from above before touching down.

"**Zel / Greywords**...!" Both master swordsmen exclaimed in relieved unison.

After taking the time to survey Lina's condition with a look of shock on his face, The chimera snapped himself out of it and placed a bag of medical supplies on the ground before stepping aside to reveal the girls landing behind him as both shrine maidens, and Fillia immediately rushed over to the battered, mangled, and bloody sorcery genius with a collective gasp,.

Gracia hung back a long moment with a nauseated look on her face. _When we traveled together all those years ago, the only time I was ever able to endure the sight of blood was when she was injured and desperately needed my help... Even if there is a significant amount more this time around, that changes nothing! _She coached herself firmly while fighting off a wave of lightheadedness and forcing herself over to the sorcery geniuses' side as well with unsteady steps.

The mystical swordsman glanced over at the redhead in concern one last time before frowning at the two warriors and spoke once more. "Now start **explaining** just how the _**hell**_ this **happened** when Lina came here to stop **you** _**two**_ from squabbling like overgrown _**children**_."He demanded in barely checked outrage.

Both master swordsmen cast their eyes downwards in shame at this more than well deserved berating wordlessly as the two shrine maidens, and Fillia worked together franticly to stabilize the redhead and Naga stood vigilantly by to fetch anything requested from the medical bag, a determined but fearful expression on her deathly pale face.

(A) "How _**did**_ this happen...?" The deeply distressed younger Seyrunn princess agreed while combining a Resurrection spell with the larger shrine maiden and placing her hands on the older sorceresses' torso. "I thought Mr Zelgadis said it was Mr. Gourry and Miss Katibree that were fighting...!"

(S) _"Miss Lina nooo..." _The raven haired girl whispered as she put her all into the joint effort spell, placing her hands by Amelia's. _**Please**__ don't die, __**please**__...! I wouldn't be able to live with myself after what I've done and said to __**you**__..! Please just __**hang**__ on...?_

(F) "**Ooohwn** I can barely **see** what I'm trying to _**heal**_!" The dragon priestess blurted suddenly while working on another critically wounded area of Lina's body, ripping away some shredded, blood soaked fabric for a better view. "Another **towel** please Miss Gracia!" _Even if we manage to stabilize Miss Lina enough to move her to a proper facility, all this blood loss is still going to be a __**major**__ problem! _She thought to herself with renewed dread as the older Seyrunn princess handed her the requested towel with a stifled gagging sound before quickly clamping a purple gloved hand over her mouth.

The mystical swordsman continued to glower at the still silent master swordsmen duo who watched the rescue attempt, Gourry running his fingers through his long blonde mane with enough force to rip out several strands as Katibree walked back and forth with her hands clamped to the top of her head in powerless trepidation.

"**WELL**..?" Zelgadis finally demanded again, still waiting for an explanation.

"Red... she..." The mostly platinum haired warrior stammered, unsure how to even begin to explain what had just transpired. "We were fighting and -"

"**Isn't** that much _**obvious**_?" Came the mystical swordsman's explosive interruption. "Just get to the **point** and tell me exactly what the **hell** _**happened**_!"

The blonde haired warrior winced at his chimera friend's harsh tone before attempting to explain himself this time. "We wouldn't stop fighting and she...she just...!" He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence as the event replayed itself in his head.

"...Jumped in the middle of it." The ex-assassin finished for him with a pained glance over at the sorcery genius who was still being tended to.

"Jumped in the _middle_...? The chimera repeated in disbelief while glancing over at Lina again as well. "Jumped in the middle of **what**, a fucking _**blender**_?" He finally exclaimed again, misunderstanding the two warrior's meaning somewhat and flying into an all out rage. "Didn't you two have enough **sense** to stop **swinging** when the woman you two **supposedly** _**love**_ was standing right **between** you trying to **stop** the two of you from _**destroying**_ one **another**!" He continued before pointing at the unconscious redhead. "**LOOK at** _**HER**_!" He added with a roar, his normally concealed fangs flashing.

"You're one hundred percent right that we screwed up badly Greywords, but it didn't happen that way exactly..." Katibree tried to clarify in a quiet and defeated tone. "Red was never even really near us the entire time, but we were fighting with our energy attacks at full strength... and just as we went to fire at each other the last time..." She began before trailing off guiltily while looking over at Gourry.

"...She decided to force us to stop, by jumping in the way of the attacks." The swordsman savant finished for her, still overcome with shame.

Zelgadis gaped wordlessly in shock for a long moment before finally reacting. "...Of- Of **all** the **immature**, _**irresponsible**_, **STUPID**, _**IDIOTIC**_-!" The chimera began to rant, not sure who he was angriest with or even ranting at any longer before he was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder followed by the quiet voice of Amelia.

"Hasn't there been enough anger and unpleasantness tonight Mr. Zelgadis...?" The younger cerulean eyed princess asked with a quiet tired sigh. "Miss Lina is as stable as we can get her on short notice so we need to move her to a decent healing facility now."

Zelgadis folded his arms, closed his steel blue eyes and grunted with a haughty turn of his head at this before cracking an eye with a slight sweat drop as he noticed the younger shrine maiden still fixing him with a gentle but firm cerulean colored stare, his defenses immediately crumbling he exhaled in defeat. "**Fine**..." He conceded with a shrug of feigned nonchalance before jogging off. "I'll be right back." The mystical swordsman called as an after thought.

Amelia looked after the chimera with a small, affectionately knowing little smile as Fillia transformed into a dragon with a blinding golden flash and lowered herself to the ground in a crouch and the rest of the girls stood by to allow Katibree and Gourry to carefully load Lina onto the golden dragon's back.

Soon enough everyone was on the dragon priestesses' back, waiting for Zelgadis while doing their best to secure Lina in place for the rushed flight.

As everyone waited, the weight of the entire ordeal and sheer amount of blood finally caught up to a certain older Seyrunn princess as the effects of her adrenaline rush wore off and she promptly passed out, toppling over and into the lap of a startled Sylphiel.

"Miss... Gracia / Big Sister..?" Both shrine maidens implored while leaning over the larger woman and fanning her worriedly.

Moments later the chimera returned, jogging up and leaping aboard before walking over and handing both broken and utterly demoralized master swordsmen their previously discarded weapons. "I believe these belong to you two." He said quietly as Fillia flapped her wings and took to the air with a loud roar. _If two __**master**__ swordsmen are both upset enough to forget even the most __**basic**__ rule of never leaving their weapons behind; maybe it's time to cut them a little bit of slack... _He added to himself with a small weary sigh while studying the body language of the two warriors who were sitting cross legged on either side of the still unconscious sorcery genius with slumped over postures and heads hung low, both mostly platinum colored and blonde flowing locks dangling forward and draping over the redhead while obstructing the view of their faces.

**Author's notes**: Yep, nearly three years later here it is folks. In the past I'd tried time and time again to write the fight between Gourry and Katibree, but with all the build up and anticipation leading up to the damn thing I choked. No matter what I wrote it seemed like utter crap and not good enough to follow what I'd already written and so after multiple attempts and about a years time I stopped trying all together.

This fic eventually faded from memory but never completely, it was always in the corners of my mind eating at me that I'd never finished it. Then about a month or so ago Linni got it in her head to rewatch Slayers, NEXT, and TRY so I sat down and rewatched some with her, all of the sudden that fricking nagging was nearly full blown again and so I said screw it, the least I can do is reread it.

So I did... and immediately started kicking my own ass because of the sheer magnitude of the cliffhanger the story was left at. I was pissed there was no next chapter and I had written the damn thing!

So yeah there you go. Inspiration for the fight scene(s) mood: the band Coheed and Cambria song: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3.

For quite a bit of the concepts and meanings behind the chapter, some the characters' emotions and motivations as well as my own, as well as adding to the general mood of the overall chapter: Same band, song: Ten Speed of God's Blood and Burial.

Hope it was worth at least some of the wait, the next chapter is already in the works.


	70. Chapter 70

**A Time to Shine**

Fillia flew through the air at top speeds in dragon form with most of the team situated on her back and Naga, who had just recently regained consciousness from her previous fainting spell perched on her neck for 'Recovery duty' whenever the dragon priestess was beginning to lose steam. "**Do you require a boost Miss Fillia**...?" The ice sorceress who was currently observing what was going on with the gang behind her raised her voice to inquire over the noise of the wind whistling past them.

"Yes, I'd appreciate that very much Miss Gracia!" The golden dragon priestess admitted somewhat breathlessly.

Naga turned toward the front and placed her hand on the dragon's head to give her a quick pick-me-up before looking over her spiked shoulder guard once more.

Behind her, the other members of the group were positioned in an unconsciously protective formation around their incapacitated comrade who was magically bound and secured to the thick dragon's hide with a Raphas Seed spell. The impromptu ring consisted of Amelia, sitting near the top of sorcery genius's head with her back currently to her older sister, Sylphiel and Gourry to the redhead's right, the raven haired girl facing inwards to monitor her and the swordsman savant facing away from her.

Katibree was to the redhead's left facing outwards, and Zelgadis, although further away, was at her feet with his back to them all and facing the rear.

The group sat silently, the only movement being their hair and capes of varying lengths and colors rustling about wildly as the landscape below them blurred by. Eventually, Sylphiel; no longer able to resist the compulsion, leaned forward to check the redhead's pulse once again. It had become almost a ritualistic habit of hers since they had taken to the air.

_Miss Lina's heartbeat is becoming weaker and more erratic as time goes by... _The raven haired girl thought to herself as her brow furrowed in deeper worry. _She's completely healed physically; Miss Amelia, Miss Fillia and I made sure of that... but if all the blood she has lost isn't soon replaced..._ She continued to herself before trailing off while leaning even further forward to place her head on the smaller girl's chest to try and hear her breathing over the roaring wind, or at least attempt to detect the slight rise and fall of her chest.

Amelia, who had maneuvered Lina's arm so that she could hold the older sorceress's hand from where she was sitting, reflexively tightened her grip while carefully studying Sylphiel's demeanor as she checked the redhead's vitals. When the raven haired girl gave no alarm signals for the time being, the younger shrine maiden relaxed again, turning her attention back to Lina with a reassured little smile. "That's **right**, you'd **never** give up so easily; especially when there's so many evil doers to punish and **justice** to be done... right Miss Lina...?" The Seyrunn princess affirmed while giving her best-friend's hand another firm squeeze through the once white but now tattered and bloodied glove.

Gourry glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Amelia's voice while straining to hear the younger shrine maiden's words over the wind and couldn't help smiling a bit upon making them out. _Thanks Amelia. _He thought gratefully, but the smile quickly faded as out of the corner of his peripheral vision he caught the beaten and battered form of Lina that Sylphiel was currently attending to before turning away again in renewed disgust at what he'd done.

_Whatever happens, nothing will change that this is __**Lina's**__ blood that I spilled... _He reminded himself while bringing up a hand and studying the palm of the black fingerless glove. To his dismay, it had been further covered in the redhead's blood as he'd helped load her onto Fillia's back for the emergency trip. _She didn't even care if she got hurt, or that she might even __**die**__; the only thing she was worried about was that Katibree and I were fighting... And she put herself in harms way to __**stop**__ it... _The swordsman savant reiterated to himself while bringing his other hand up to his face and touching the dried streaks of blood left there. _She was __**smiling**__... _He remembered with a pained expression as his mind replayed the image of Lina trailing her bloodied hand down his left cheek just before losing consciousness. _**Smiling**__..!_

The blonde master swordsman repeated to himself with a mental shout while gritting his teeth and beginning to tremble slightly, his eyes squeezing shut as a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. _She wasn't even __**mad**__... Even as __**hurt**__ as Lina was, she was just happy because I was alright... _The blond warrior trailed off mentally and clenched his hand into a fist at the last thought. _No_... _because __**we**__ were alright. _He forced himself to acknowledge, reopening his sky blue eyes with a frown and looking over his shoulder at the ex-assassin sitting behind and directly across from him.

A flash of conflicted anger assaulted the the blonde warrior and he turned away once more with a sharp frustrated growl. Not knowing what to do with the agonizing and confusing hail of emotions he was suffering through, he finally just buried his face in his hands in an attempt to quietly ride them out.

Katibree, who was lost in her own desolate landscape of thoughts, was brought out of them by the feel of a certain mystical swordsman's hand on her shoulder. "Zelgadis...?" She inquired while lifting her head slightly and glancing over at him through the fingers of a hand clasped over her face.

"**I need to speak with you, can you come up here for a bit**?" Zelgadis called over the wind with a nod of the head toward the backside of the golden dragon where he was seated.

"If you're looking to tear another chunk out of my hide, I can't guarantee how much you'll get." The half elf removed her hand from her face to reply wearily as she got up to make her way over to him while staying low for the least amount of wind resistance.

The chimera could only make out a few words of the dejected half drow's response over the wind and filled in the rest of what she was saying by reading her lips. "...Make no mistake that I stand by what I said earlier, but chewing you out about it again is not what this is about." The chimera finally responded after the impromptu translation while turning from her as she got to and took her seat beside him, scanning the skies and retreating landscape a moment while collecting his thoughts.

The mostly platinum haired warrior studied the profile and demeanor of the heartless mystical swordsman wordlessly at this statement until he finally turned his head and leveled his steel blue gaze at her again in his typical no-nonsense manner.

"Now I had a good deal of time to talk with Lina back at the inn before the entire fiasco with you and Gourry started..." Zelgadis began before trailing off with a small frown while studying the half drow's eyes a moment before continuing to speak once more. "...And what I gathered from that conversation more than anything else is that she trusts and admires you."

The half drow broke eye contact at the chimera's scrutiny of her, accompanied with a fresh stab of guilt at the mention of Lina speaking so highly of her coming secondhand from him. "Is this going somewhere Zelgadis...? I'm really not up for a heart-to-heart right now." She finally said uncomfortably, turning her gaze first to the large pink ribbon-ed tail trailing out in front of them and then the horizon beyond.

"...I by no means intend to take this time to get buddy-buddy with you, but I do need to know that I can count on you to stay solid with Lina being in the current state that she is in." The chimera replied bluntly.

The ex-assassin continued to stare off in the distance in silence a long moment at this statement. "Stay solid." She finally echoed more to herself than him while bringing up a hand to tuck some of her wind strewn mostly platinum colored locks of hair behind her right ear to show her face more clearly as she turned her magenta colored gaze to him again. "Were you under the impression that I'm 'meltdown' material Greywords...?"

Zelgadis who was almost exclusively lip reading now took a bit before answering. "...Lina did give me a few more details about your 'situation' which does worry me, but that not exactly what I'm getting at either." He finally elaborated while folding his arms as he continued. "The reason I called you over is that with Lina down for the count, the way we normally operate as a group is going to be greatly compromised."

"I can definitely see that, but I'm still not sure where you're going with this..." The half drow said while looking away again with a decidedly apathetic shrug.

The chimera couldn't tell whether the half elf was just distracted or flat out disinterested in what he had to say, but it annoyed him none the less. "Now **look**..." He began in irritation, the sharp tone regaining the smaller warrior's attention before he reigned himself back in with a deep sigh. "..._Look_, I understand that you're still pretty torn up about what went down earlier, it affected _everyone_ in one way or another. All I'm trying to do is attempt to fill at least _some_ of the void that Lina being unavailable has left, and I'd like your assistance with that."

"...I apologize if I came across as rude Zelgadis, I just have allot on my mind right now." Katibree offered wearily, seeing that she had offended him unintentionally. "Go ahead and shoot, I'm listening."

"Alright, well after some thought, aside from Lina you're the best source of information about the enemy that I have available; and I want to try and work out some sort of battle plan." The chimera pointedly began to explain. "It's normally something I'd collaborate with her on, but obviously that's not an option at the moment..." He continued, placing a hand on his stoned chin thoughtfully as he spoke. "However, based on something Lina mentioned earlier, I understand that one of the things you were required to study in your prior profession was tactics, is this correct?"

The ex-assassin faltered slightly at this. "...Yes, that's... correct..." She finally answered while narrowing her eyes at the mystical swordsman slightly. _What else did they talk about...? Not that much time could have passed, did he just... sit there and grill Red about me the moment I stepped out of the inn...?_

"Excellent, so first things first, go ahead and give me a refresh on **their** tactics before we attempt to rework our own." The chimera said scooting to turn and face her more directly before crossing his legs.

_Nosy __**and**__ pushy, oh __**goodie**__. _Katibree deadpanned mentally while closing her magenta colored eyes with a small stress-mark before deciding to just let it go. "Their tactics?" She finally repeated, thinking a moment before answering. "Well for one, they seem do their homework. I don't know about you or the Seyrunn princesses back there since you have yet to even tangle with them; but they already had an idea of Gourry and Nels Rada's basic abilities as well as what they specialized in before attacking us."

"...I see, so if they already had information on Sylphiel, who other than Gracia has traveled with Lina the least over the past few years... That would mean they would almost certainly have Amelia and I scouted as well." Zelgadis said more to himself than the half elf.

"Right, I would think it much less likely that they have any information on princess Ul Di Seyrunn at all honestly, so maybe we can figure out some way to use that to our advantage." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while brushing some more of her unruly hair from the right side of her face. "Another thing that should be clarified is that although we are dealing with multiple monsters, all of the copies are taking orders from one mazoku as far as we can tell."

"Soshurn is what Lina called him, if my memory serves." The chimera offered. _Everything she's said so far matches up with what was discussed earlier, and I'm getting new information as well... OK, I can definitely work with this._

"Correct, and he seems to favor ambush tactics all around, be it sneak attacks from the astral plane or anything else he can use to get the upper hand." The ex-assassin elaborated while folding her own arms as she briefed the larger blue warrior. "The copies never attack head on and outright unless they are sure they have a huge advantage."

"And you believe the number of this creature's forces are growing by the day." The heartless mystical swordsman stated.

"Unfortunately, yes." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while bringing a hand up and rubbing a temple with a pointer and middle finger.

"Alright then, how strong would you say these copies are approximately?"

"Not too bad individually although still pure mazoku, their real strength definitely lies in larger numbers." The half elf answered with a small shrug. "Mid-carders is what Red refers to them as."

"Anyone who states that even _one_ pure mazoku isn't too bad has got to have been hanging around with Lina a little too long." The heartless mystical swordsman replied with a skeptical expression. "Is it really _wise_ to take even one so lightly?"

"I'll be the first to admit that the potential firepower of any of the individual types is nothing to be scoffed at, but I'm not convinced that their constitution is up to par." The half drow elaborated while glancing over her shoulder to catch a quick glimpse of how Lina was doing. "At least not any longer." She added more distractedly.

"Not any longer?" The chimera prodded, leaning forward slightly with growing interest.

"One of the first clones we dealt with took a full force Ra Tilt from Nels Rada and was definitely damaged, but survived and was eliminated later... Since then they have seemed less...stout I guess you could call it." The mostly platinum haired warrior turned her attention back to the larger blue warrior to explain. "The first set we killed may have even been the originals."

_Sylphiel has learned the Ra Tilt? _Zelgadis noted mentally with some surprise before firing off another question. "So you're saying that you think the copies are deteriorating in value as they are replicated?"

"I haven't fought enough to be certain, but it's a theory yes." The ex-assassin affirmed with a slight nod.

_I had my doubts, but at the very least it seems that Lina's personal feelings didn't bias the evaluation that she gave me of Katibree's strengths in this department. _The chimera finally conceded privately. "Alright, then based on all of that, what can you speculate on what you think this Soshurn's next move will be? Well build our new strategy on that."

"...Well before this, he has always directed the clones to attack when he perceived us to be in a weakened state, be it coming right out of another battle like with the titan, or when he believes our guard to be down, like when they destroyed the room at the Inn they believed that Lina was staying in during the middle of the night..." Katibree explained with another shrug before trailing off with an apprehensive look crossing her half elven features. "

"What is it...?" The mystical swordsman asked with an inquisitive metallic eyebrow raised.

"I... I hate to say it, but in our current state, with our heaviest hitter in the magic department down, and us out in the open like this..." Katibree began before trailing off once more and giving the larger warrior a do-I-really-need-to-say-it look.

"Never mind, don't even bother finishing the thought." Zelgadis deadpanned.

Just then Naga, who was still perched on Fillia's neck, looked up as something higher in the sky up ahead caught her eye. "What is...?" She wondered, trailing off while squinting her ice blue eyes to try and make the shape out.

"Miss Fillia, do you see th- BALUS WALL!" The ice sorceress blurted as the figure teleported several dozen feet ahead of them and fired before phasing out again.

Everyone on the golden dragon's back turned at the sound of Gracia's voice while Fillia veered sharply to the left as the energy attack that they were suddenly flying directly towards met the the barrier spell with an explosion.

As Fillia swerved, the group lost their seating and began sliding off of her back. The aftershock of the following explosion only worsened things.

Naga clung to Fillia's neck for dear life while Amelia fell back as she slid and managed to grab a hold of some of the golden dragon's mane as Gourry caught hold of Sylphiel's waist with one arm and grabbed for the magical binding keeping Lina stationary in an effort to stay on board. Toward Fillia's tail, Katibree managed to slow her slide and gain her footing, but Zelgadis who had been facing her, was jerked backwards and began to roll unable to get a hand hold on anything and nearly fell off before the half drow caught his hand. She began to skid forward again herself with a grunt as the dead weight of the 1/3 rock golem was completely transferred to her.

"**Damn** _**it**_, **Kati**_**bree**_...!" The mystical swordsman stress marked while dangling back and forth precariously.

"Oh **yeah**, like it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't _**mentioned**_ it!" The mostly platinum haired warrior shot back tightly while straining against the surprising weight of the chimera as they both slipped even further off of Fillia's backside. "**Sorry in advance Ul' Copt**!" She called to the Fire Dragon priestess before flipping out a slicer and stabbing and hooking it into the scaled golden backside to stop them both from being dislodged completely from their current ride.

"Sorry for wha- Oh **do** be _**careful**_ Miss **Katibree**!" The dragon priestess exclaimed indignantly at this, but managed to keep herself steady before gradually righting herself to allow everyone on her back to regain their positions and scramble to their feet as four more copies appeared in various positions in the sky and fired energy blasts as the crew flew by them.

"_Wind barrier_!" Sylphiel exclaimed, blocking another energy attack as Gourry, brandishing the sword of light, deflected a shot from behind her with a scowl. "**Elmekia ****Lance! / Elmekia Flame**!" The Seyrunn sisters cried, firing their retaliating attack spells simultaneously.

"**Blam **_**Blazer**_!" Zelgadis bellowed, having made his way back to a stable position with a certain smaller blue warrior's help who was also firing an attack of her own at the assailants.

7 more copies blinked in front for another attack barrage and Fillia fired her laser breath weapon to disperse them. "_**Out**_ of the **way**!" She roared while picking up a fresh burst of speed.

Katibree shot several blasts of red and black energy from her palms before cursing in frustration as they were all dodged by the growing number of copy mazoku. "If only one attacked initially, then they were probably scouting for us and the others are being **rallied** now that our position has been **discovered**!" She called over her shoulder to Zelgadis.

"I already count **eleven**, if even _**more**_ are on the way then we are in some serious **trouble**." The mystical swordsman agreed while cupping his hands to the side in a casting stance and pressing his back to hers. _Just stay still a second longer you bastard... _"**Raaaa Tiiiilt**!" He added in a shout, exterminating a Rahtarimu copy in a flash of white and blue flame as 3 more monsters phased in nearby to join the battle, taking several pop shots at the team as they whizzed past on the back of their golden dragon comrade.

Amelia ducked a volley of metallic colored spikes from a Zifolis copy with a squeak of displeasure before returning fire with a Ra Tilt of her own. "They're **everywhere**!" She exclaimed as 5 more copies teleported in to the right of them.

Just then Fillia growled and then hissed as multiple attacks from below impacted with her stomach, temporarily stunning her and causing her flight to become erratic, once the dragon has stabilized herself again, Gracia grabbed a handful of blonde mane and swung down using the lengthy tresses like vines. "This **is** getting quite **tedious**!" She agreed, now dangling just below the golden dragon's neck from the golden locks with one hand and using her free hand to fire back at the mazoku now attacking from below. "Elmekia Lance, and **again**... and _**again**_, **Elmekiaaaa** _**Flame**_!"

"_Recovery_!" Sylphiel exclaimed thinly while stooping to cast a healing and stamina replenishing combo on Fillia before crawling over to check the status of the unconscious redhead once again.

"**Light** come _**forth**_!" Gourry yelled, sending a covering volley of blasts from the Sword of light to deter any monster considering targeting the raven haired girl or defenseless Lina.

Zelgadis closed his eyes in concentration and took a deep breath to focus himself while bracing against the back of Katibree before snapping them open with a growl. "**Zelas** **Brid**... **Zelas** _**Briiiid**_!" He double casted rapidly before glancing over his shoulder at the half elf behind him. "At **this** rate we'll be blown out of the **sky**, we **can't** keep this up _**forever**_! Weren't you trained in this sort of thing? **Raaa** **Tiiiilt**!"

_Trained in this kind of-! _"Evading a swarming **monster** horde while surfing on the back of a golden fucking _**dragon**_?!" The half elf shot back, her voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch as a wave of loopiness caused by the close proximity to the powerful and unfamiliar spell crept up on her. "**Yeah** I _**definitely**_ remember **that** lesson from assassin academy!" She added with mock glee while nodding vigorously.

"Less **sarcasm** and more _**strategy**_ **Kati**_**bree**_...!" The larger blue warrior shot back with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm **thinking**, I'm **thinking**...!" The smaller blue warrior agreed more seriously, shaking the creeping fuzziness out of her head before focusing on the attack patterns of the still multiplying mazoku.

Gourry shot another round of cover fire from Gorunova before turning at the voice of an alarmed sounding Sylphiel. "_No_ Miss Lina, you _mustn't_!" She pleaded while hurriedly beginning CPR on the sorcery genius.

"_**Lina**_...!" The swordsman savant called, rushing to the redhead's side and drawing the attention of everyone else. "She's gonna be **OK**, right Sylphiel...?" He begged while running a hand through his blonde mane in renewed distress.

Katibree snapped her head over too see what the commotion was about as well and froze in her tracks. "Oh gods _no_..." She breathed while looking on.

(A) "Miss **Lina**, _**please**_ stay **with** us..!" Amelia implored tearfully, now leaning over the older sorceress as well.

(N) "Is Lina **alright**?" Naga called anxiously while scrambling back up Fillia's neck.

(F) "**What** is going **on** back there Miss Naga...?" Fillia asked, her concerned sharpen by the tone of the first crowned Seyrunn princesses' voice.

Zelgadis froze as well, a flash of fear crossing his stoney features before he closed his eyes and turned away in silence. After taking a deep shaky breath he finally spoke. "**What** is everyone _**doing**_?!" He demanded. "**Sylphiel** is _**doing**_ her **job **and _**we**_ need to concentrate on doing ours as **well** so she can _**continue**_ to do hers _**uninterrupted**_!"

Gracia faltered in indecision at this before finally turning her attention back to the skies with a small frown and picking a target as Fillia fired her breath weapon rapidly. "**Dynast **_**Breath**_!" She belted before glancing over at Sylphiel's resuscitation efforts again worriedly.

Gourry swallowed dryly before finally steeling himself and willing his body to straighten, his eyes hardening once more and flicking from one phasing mazoku to another as he finally took his combat stance. "_**Light**_ **come** _**FOOOORTH**_!" He roared, countering several inbound attacks with the sword of light.

Amelia's tear brimmed cerulean colored eyes switched back and forth from Lina to Sylphiel a moment longer before she forced herself to close them and made a fist. _Mr. Zelgadis is __**right**__!_ She exclaimed to herself as she stood from her crouch and turned to the swarming enemy while wiping the tears from her eyes with a frown. "You're going to pull **through** this **Miss** _**Lina**_!" Amelia called before casting another Ra Tilt with renewed conviction on her face.

Katibree remained motionless and rooted to the spot with fear, merely staring at the raven haired girl's frantic efforts to resuscitate Lina as everything else transpiring around her faded away. _You've __**got**__ to pull through, something this __**stupid**__ can't beat you babe, it __**can't**__...! This is my __**fault**__, __**I**__ did this to you... It should be __**me**__ laying there... Not __**you**_...!

(S) "One, two, three, four- breathe Miss Lina... breathe please? _Please...?" _The shrine maiden continued to implore in between pinching the redhead's nose shut and placing her mouth over the small girl's to breath for her. The quiet pleas drifted to the ex-assassin's ears over the howling wind until they began to sound very far away. _"...You __**mustn't**__ give up, you have to __**breath**__! One, two, three...!"_

(K) _She __**has**__ to, but what if she doesn't...? _

(Z) "**Katibree**, **more** _**monsters**_ have shown **up**!" Zelgadis shouted over his shoulder to the unresponsive half drow.

_What am I going to do if she never wakes-_

"_**Katibree**_!" The chimera demanded a second time, finally jolting her somewhat out of her racing thoughts. "Your training in small group tactics is **worthless** to us if you don't _**utilize**_ it!"

"_I hear you." _The half elf finally replied quietly, barely registering what the mystical swordsman was saying with her magenta colored gaze still never leaving Lina.

"**Ra** _**Tilt**_!" Zelgadis casted hurriedly at a Zifolis copy that phased in too close before turning his attention back to Katibree. "How many more **times** did you intend to **further** _**endanger**_ the life of the woman you _**supposedly**_ love today?!"

The half drow snapped her head in the larger blue warrior's direction as if she had just been slapped by him and gave him a scathing glare. "I **said** I _**hear**_ you!" She reiterated angrily before forcing herself to break eye contact with him to take in their surroundings and study the attack patterns of the clone mazoku horde once more. _They're port attacking because they can't keep up with us any other way, Ul' Copt is too fast for them... _She noted before shooting the larger blue warrior one last withering glare and then forcing herself to clear her thoughts once more. _I can use that. _She finally concluded.

With this, the ex-assassin's brow furrowed as a plan began to form and she walked toward the front of Fillia. but paused looking at Sylphiel still fighting to save the sorcery genius's life. ..._Lina has said in the past that the main reason she has gotten as far as she has, is because she has complete trust in her team... her **friends**._ She remembered before letting out a deep sigh. _...Alright, let's give that a try. _ She decided, tearing her magenta colored gaze away from the drama unfolding and beginning to walk forward once more with a new determination set on her half elven features."**Alright,** e**veryone concentrate on **_**defense**_** for now, **_**Fillia**_**, start descending toward those mountain trenches ahead and fly as low to the ground as possible once we make it there!**" She shouted while making the rest of her way over to the golden dragon's blonde mane, grabbing a handful and slinging herself down to defend the priestesses underside as Gracia who was now up-top fighting along side her younger sister had done earlier.

"**Windy Shield!**" Zelgadis bellowed, covering the rear. "**Ballus Wall!**" Both Seyrunn princesses shouted, Amelia shielding Fillia's right, and Naga shielding the front, with Gourry protecting the left side with near continuous cover fire from the Sword of Light and Katibree providing cover fire from the bottom.

Sylphiel ceased her resuscitation efforts, to check Lina's vitals. "I didn't let you go when you sacrificed yourself to save me _then_, and I won't _now_ Miss **Lina**...!" She declared stubbornly as she began chest compressions once more.

Moments later as Fillia closed the last of the distance to the ground, the half drow slung herself back up to topside near Naga as Fillia traversed the fairly narrow and winding canyons with monster clones attempting to port in around them, several of them beginning to miscalculate and teleport into various rocky obstructions in the area hindering their attacks. "**Ul' Copt**, I've got an idea to make you faster but I need some sort of **signal** to know when you are ready for the boost once I set it up!"

The golden dragon roared loudly and then whipped her tail back and forth twice in response. "How's that Miss Katibree?"

"**Perfect**!" The ex-assassin called before making her way to the dragon's back once more, crouching next to Sylphiel to check on Lina's condition. "How's she doing...?"

"She's started breathing on her own again, and she has a pulse." Sylphiel looked up to answer breathlessly before leaning over the redhead again and using her forefinger and thumb to open one of Lina's eyes to check the pupil's response to light.

"Thank you for keeping her with us, Sylphiel."

"Of _course_ Miss Katibree."

"Now I'll need to utilize your talents in a moment, so can you go ahead and borrow Lina's talismans for a bit and put them on?"

"Miss Lina's... demon's blood talismans...?" The raven haired girl asked unsurely.

"That's right, the incantation to invoke them is 'Lord's of darkness of the three worlds, the covenant renewed, grant me all the power you possess.'" The half elf relayed with a smirk. "Do me a favor and see if you can get the boost to work and I'll be back with you in a minute."

"A-alright..." The raven haired girl stammered while fumbling to remove the more seasoned sorceress' talismans and don them herself.

After letting everyone know they were fine to drop their defensive spells and they all returned to going offense or defense as needed, Katibree headed toward the back once more. "Zelgadis, I know you're good at calculating spell trajectories, but can you do it on the fly without any tools?" She asked once she got to the chimera.

"That depends on how precise the calculations need to be..." The mystical swordsman mused. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking you could bind yourself to Fillia back here with a modified Raphas Seed like Amelia did with Red..." The smaller blue warrior explained while gesturing at her waist with her hands. "But just around your lower body, and boost her rate of flying with Bom Di Winds when she signals that she's ready for it."

The larger blue warrior placed a thoughtful hand on his chin at this. "We're going to try and outrun them?"

"No, just force them to change how they're attacking." The ex-assassin clarified. "I've got an idea." She added with a grin.

"An idea huh? Then let's give it a go." The chimera conceded while taking a seat near the base of the large pink ribbon-ed tail. "What's the signal?"

"A roar and a double tail thrash is what Ul' Copt came up with."

Zelgadis gave a thumbs up sign at this. "Oh and Katibree...?" He added just as the smaller warrior turned to leave once more.

"Yes...?" The mostly platinum haired warrior stopped and looked over her shoulder to inquire.

"About earlier... I uh..." The heartless mystical swordsman tried before faltering and trailing off.

"...You can be a real _dick_ at times Zel, but... I can see how that's needed every once in awhile." The half elf accepted wryly before walking off once more.

"Humph." The chimera grunted before turning away and allowing himself a small smile at this. "Raphas Seed.. _Special_!"

Once Katibree had made her way back up to check on Sylphiel, she crouched next to the practicing high priestess. "Were you able to get the incantation to work?"

The raven haired girl nodded dutifully at this, holding up a wrist to show a glowing talisman.

"Alright, let's get this started then." The half drow acknowledged while returning the raven haired girl's nod with a quick wink. "**Everyone hold on to something**!" The half elf then yelled while hunkering down herself with a hand on one of Sylphiel's gold trimmed shoulder guards. "**Whenever you're ready then Ul' Copt**!"

The golden dragon's response was a roar and double tail sweep.

"**Bom Di **_**Wiiiind**_**!**" Zelgadis bellowed in response with his arms outstretched in front of him, the resulting gust of wind shooting the entire team forward with a jolt. Fillia adjusted to the speed boost, spreading her wings to glide and steady herself before again giving the signal, once more prompting the chimera to cast. Soon the rocky walls of the canyon were an indistinguishable blur and every volley of attacks from the now 30 or so mazoku clones missed widely.

After some time of blasting through the trenches without even having to defend against the hopelessly inaccurate attacks searing by, the number of clones began to drop off little by little until only one Filzinia was left port-tailing them far off in the distance.

(A) "Are they giving up?" Amelia asked hopefully.

The mystical swordsman shaded his eyes to track the one mazoku still tailing them from afar. "Regrouping is more like it."

(K) "That's what I'm betting on." Katibree said grimly while scanning the skies for any new activity herself before stealing another quick glance at Lina who Sylphiel was still sitting by.

(N) "**Another group of them just appeared over there.**" Naga called from from up front while pointing toward the east.

The ganged watched in silence as the horde grew in size with more members joining as they phased in closer and closer, each and every one of them charging a steadily growing ball of destructive energy as they clustered together.

The chimera steel blue eyes widened as he realized what they had in mind. "They're... they're planning a mass coordinated attack!"

"That's your cue Sylphiel." Katibree said while standing and giving the raven haired shrine maiden a slap on her gold trimmed shoulder guard.

"_Me_...?" The jade eyed girl asked meekly while blinking in disbelief.

"That's right." The half elf affirmed with a smirk while leading her over to stand by where Zelgadis was currently sitting. "You'll need to be standing for this so brace yourself, and you can't hesitate no matter _what_. Got it?"

"Yes, I _understand_!"

"Gourry can you keep Sylphiel steady?"

"No problem!"

"**Let's give them a run for the **_**coin**_** Fillia**!"

The former Fire Dragon King priestess gave a defiant roar and trashed her tail violently at this.

"**Bom DI **_**Wiiiind**_!" The chimera answered as the group blasted forward with another jolt of speed, and another, and another with Gourry bracing himself against the crazy G-forces and holding Sylphiel upright.

Soon enough, the horde of more than thirty teleported in sync with one another at least half a mile ahead of the speeding dragon in an area where the canyon opened up enough to fit them, all of them still charging attacks of varying size and intensity and barring their path with a wall of their own bodies.

(K) "**Sylphiel refresh that boost**!"

"_Yes_!"

(A) "**Miss Katibree, the monsters are blocking the way!**" Amelia called from beside her older sister up front.

"We're staying on course and pushing through!" The ex-assassin said while making her way up to the two sisters. "**As soon as we break though start your Dragon Slave Sylphiel!**" She called over her shoulder.

"Ooo_kay_!" The raven haired girl affirmed with a determined nod.

(G, Z, A, F, N) "_**Sylphiel**_** can cast the **_**DRAGON SLAVE**_**?!**" The practicing high priestesses' comrades blurted in union.

Sylphiel closed her eyes and gave a wavering little laugh while sweat-dropping slightly at the shocked reaction of her fellow team members.

Katibree chuckled at this before growing more serious and firing a large energy blast at the mazoku wall they were currently barreling towards as Fillia followed suit with her breath weapon and Naga and Amelia casted from either side of her as well.

"**Dynast Breath**!" Gracia casted.

"**Vis Farank**... _**Battering**_** Ram** of **JUSTICE**!" Amelia made up on the spot exuberantly, leaning forward and slapping her hand down on the top of Fillia's head while casting the modified Vis Farank with a huge grin as the upper part of the Golden Dragon's body began to glow a brilliant white as they barreled ahead.

The former Fire Dragon Priestess took Amelia's cue while grinning in the way that only dragons can. "Let us clear this ravine of some **raw** _**garbage**_!" She agreed before lowering her head in anticipation of the imminent impact.

(Zi) "**Get ready mazoku kin!**" A Zifolis clone could be heard instructing the other copies.

Fillia gave a rumbling victory roar as the team of heroes met the wall of monsters literally head on, slowing down, but steamrolling through even as various forms of 'raw garbage' impacted with the several ton 'Vis Farank Headbutt' sending clones flying in all directions with cries of anger and dismay.

(K) "**We're **_**through**_**, time to **_**shine**_** Sylphiel!**" Katibree cued as the mazoku horde quickly regrouped for their mass attack.

"_Right_! Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." The raven haired shrine maiden closed her eyes and began chant quietly while Gourry looked down and over her shoulder at the red and white tendrils of energy beginning to raise and twirl around the two of them.

(Z) "_**Bom**_ **Di** **Wind**!" Zelgadis belted again at Fillia's signal before looking over at Sylphiel with a new found respect for the maybe not so meek as he thought shrine maiden. _A Dragon Slave may wipe out some, if they're dumb enough to stand still and let the beam connect with one of them,but I seriously doubt that is going to happen... _He couldn't help but speculate.

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power _grows_..." The practicing high priestess continued, using her hands to gesture with a small dainty frown furrowing her brow.

Gourry braced himself and Sylphiel against another surge of forward momentum before taking the time to marvel at the growing magical aura surrounding them once again with growing amazement. _How long has she known the Dragon Slave?Why hasn't she used it before now?_

"I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who _stand_, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy _hands_... Let the fools who stand me be destroyed by the _power_ you and I _possess_...!"

(K) "**Keep **_**all**_** of your focus on that beam when you release, Nels Rada, we've got to make this **_**count**_**!**" The half elf called from the front of Fillia.

"Sylphiel acknowledged with a curt nod, before finally opening her jade colored eyes and jutting her hands outwards with the palms cupped and extended. "_Dragooon_ _**Slaaave**_!" She exclaimed in her mouse-like voice, the force of the amplified beam pushing her back and forcing Gourry to dig in with his heels to keep from losing his balance.

However as impressive as the display was, the monsters drifted out of the way of the center to let the massive beam pass harmlessly by just as Zelgadis had predicted. They then fired all of their attacks simultaneously on the lead Zifolis clone's signal.

_We are __**so**__ screwed. _Zelgadis thought as he looked at the massive volley of homing mazoku energy attacks quickly closing in with a hollow chuckle. _But if I had to choose a group of people to meet my end with... _He added to himself, trailing of with a shrug and small smile.

(K) "**Time to show up Lina so bad, you'll shame her awake Sylphiel...!**"

Sylphiel glanced around Gourry imploringly at this statement while maintaining control of the beam as instructed.

Katibree broke into an all out grin at this. "**Break it**!"

"Mmm_hum_!" Sylphiel agreed with a vigorous nod before releasing the still firing huge beam and holding a hand up in the air.

(Z) "H-have _**you**_ **gone** _**MAD**_?!" The chimera balked.

(A) "Say what now...?" Amelia asked with a wavering smile and large sweat-drop.

(N) "And people call me **crazy**." Naga said in amusement.

(F) "**Owoooh** Gods _**help**_ _**US**_...!" A decidedly distressed Fillia cried before beginning to give the signal for speed boosts franticly which Zelgadis more than happily complied with with sweat-drops all around.

"_**Break**_!" Sylphiel commanded with a exhilarated looking grin of her own while dropping her raised arm and snapping her fingers to trigger it.

After a short silence there was a ear splitting whooshing noise and then a deafening explosion in the midst of the mazoku horde as the massive red and white beam still passing through the midst of them first imploded, and then detonated with the power of at least 5 Dragon Slaves in one.

The horde cried out in collective misery at the surprise incineration as the titanic ball of destruction rolled outward, obliterating everything in it's path.

"_Holy_ _shit_!" Katibree laughed while covering an ear with one hand and gesturing with the other to the Seyruun sisters to also head to the back for support.

As the sonic shock-wave from the gigantic Dragon Slave gave the group an extra boost forward, both princesses rushed forward to help with Bomb Di Wind boosts along side Zelgadis with Amelia whimpering and Naga laughing manically as the sphere of carnage roared toward them, catching up to and then absorbing the archers volley of mazoku energy attacks and then continuing on still gaining on them.

(F) "Is it still catching up- Hot, **hot**, _**hot**_...!" Fillia began to ask before roaring and flapping her wings even more frantically as the pink ribbon on her tail began to smolder.

"_Defense_!" Sylphiel, still grinning from ear to ear moved further forward to cast, shielding Fillia's back-end as well as the rest of the group from the still gaining but now slowing red and white ball of obliteration as Gourry still held her watching the entire spectacle in wordless amazement.

"This is _**scary**_!" The younger Seyrunn princess exclaimed with crocodile tears in her cerulean colored eyes. "Bom Di Wind, **Bom Di Wind**, _**Bom Di Wind**_...!"

"_Ooooh_ _ooh ooh ooh ooh_, **ooooooh** **ooh ooh ooh ooh**, _**oooooooooooh**_ _**ooh ooh ooh ooh...**_!" The older Seyruun princess had ceased casting and triumphantly stood with her hands on her hips to belt out.

Zelgadis stress-marked at this. "For the love of all that's **sane**, would you stop that **incessant** laughing and give us a _**hand**_ here Gracia?!" He shouted, his voice cracking to a slightly higher pitch before casting another air boost himself. "We still need to put **more** _**distance**_ between ourselves and **Sylphiel's** reckless ball of _**death**_!"

Sylphiel couldn't help but giggle at this while continuing to hold the defensive barrier as they sped along with Naga's triumphant laughter continuing to ring out.

(Z) "**Honestly**, who _**does**_ something like that without so much as even a second _**thought**_!?" The chimera continued to sputter.

"...My bad, Mr. Zelgadis." Sylphiel managed while stifling another giggle.

"...You're **completely** _**insane**_ Sylphiel Nels Rada!"

(G) "I thought it was pretty cool Zel!" Gourry said while rubbing the back of his neck with a laugh and keeping the raven haired girl stable with his other arm.

Sylphiel flushed with pleasure at the swordsman savant praise while Amelia, who had finally given up on trying to reason with her older sister, shrugged and then joined in with her sister's trademark laughter.

(Z) "Come on **Amelia**, not you _**too**_...!" Zelgadis pleaded dejectedly.

(F) "What is the name of the **gods** is going _**on**_ back **there**...?" Fillia who had finally had enough of the racket began to complain.

After a while of fleeing the wake of the Mega Dragon Slave, it finally lost the majority of it's momentum and began to disperse allowing the group to pull a safe distance away from it and stay out of range.

Katibree flopped down next to the still unconscious redhead wearily and watched the shenanigans of the group for a while longer with a small smile on her face. _'Trust' huh..? _She mused before glancing down at Lina once more "You sure did miss out on one _hell_ of a show Red." She said while looking back at the group bickering or otherwise interacting amongst themselves comedicly._"I'll tell you all about it once you wake up."_ The half elf added more quietly as the group rapidly closed in on their destination.

Author's notes: I actually ended up writing this chapter twice, most of the first attempt will likely end up in the next chapter which means that 71 is already over half way written. Inspirations for the tone of the chapter include: "Broken" By Seether ft Amy Lee, "It's Not Over" by Daughtry, and "Hallelujah" By Paramore. Hopefully you enjoyed it, and as always, any feedback is greatly appreciated.


	71. Chapter 71

**Wings of Recovery**

Several Bom Di Winds, Recovery spells, and two additional medical emergencies with Lina later, the mentally and physically taxed group braced for touch down with all joviality from their victory earlier long past. Fillia pivoted her wing joints and began flapping against the current of air to slow herself as much as possible while coming in for a landing at speeds much faster than she was used to.

Extending her hind legs and spreading her wings to further slow herself, she reared back with the ground rapidly closing in. Soon enough the golden dragon was landing in a partially controlled slide with her claws gouging into the snow covered rocky terrain; and once the former Fire Dragon priestess managed to completely halt her forward momentum, she quickly lowered herself to the ground and Gourry and Katibree carefully unloaded Lina off of her back as everyone else jumped down. With the last comrade clear, she then changed to human form and gave the signal to drop the barrier around the temple.

Fillia, Zelgadis, Naga, and Sylphiel watched the barrier begin to vanish, Amelia however, was intent on observing the ex-assassin and swordsman savant holding Lina instead.

The two master swordsmen's eyes met uneasily, both magenta colored and baby blue orbs locking as they both held the redhead from either side. After standing this way a long and tense moment, the swordsman savant eventually swallowed and averted his gaze while slowly relinquishing his grasp on the unconscious sorceress and leaving the mostly platinum haired warrior to hold her alone.

"_...I'm sorry."_

"_Me too, Gourry."_

Amelia smiled tiredly while nodding in approval at the quiet exchange between the two warriors before turning her own attention to the temple as it shimmered into view. The huge doors had no sooner begun to creak open, than the team rushed forward with the dragon priestess at the lead.

(F) "Assemble the three most seasoned clerics in the medical ward immediately and gather the equipment for the blood station as well!" Fillia barked as she strode through the still opening doors with the others close behind.

A waiting priestess scurried off to execute the orders given while another that remained behind began following the disheveled looking bunch as they whisked by.

"Urm... Head High Priestess Fillia...?" The soft spoken maiden with shoulder length pink hair began apologeticly while hurrying along side the former Fire Dragon King priestess. "_Men_ are not allowed in this sacred-"

"Miss **Archadia**, the **life** of one of my **closest** friends is currently hanging by a _**thread**_, therefore I assume you can afford me the **leeway** of lowering the presence of a swinging **dick** or two within this temple on my list of _**concerns**_." Fillia interjected as she continued to briskly traverse the halls of the building and the shrine maiden covered her mouth with a gasp. "Now **do** shut up and **promptly** locate a blood type test for Miss Lina Inverse if you _**please**_." She added as she turned the corner, flinging a curtain aside and entering the healing ward.

"Y-yes... yes... Head High priestess..." The pink haired girl stammered before rushing over to rummage through a drawer nearby.

Amelia glanced over at Lina's battered form that the half elf was currently cradling and her brow furrowed in determination as she stepped forward and spoke up. "Miss _Fillia_... even though Daddy always says I still don't meet the standards to give yet, _whatever_ Miss Lina's type is, I should be compatible, so please let me _help_!"

"That's good to know Miss Amelia, however we will need much more blood than just one person can give safely." Fillia replied grimly as the ex-assassin walked up with the tattered and bloodied redhead in her arms. "Place Miss Lina here." The golden dragon priestess instructed while gesturing to a large healing bed in the middle of the room before beginning to set up the transfusion equipment that had just been carted over to her by another high priestess in training.

The ex-assassin complied, lowering the sorcery genius down on the bed as the pink haired girl administered the blood type test, pricking the unconscious sorcery genius' arm with a small magical device.

Fillia then set up a chair on the side of Lina's bed. "Please have a seat Miss Amelia." She instructed while connecting Lina's arms to the blood transfer devices now placed on either side of the large bed.

"Type A." The pink haired shrine maiden reported dutifully.

"I'm assuming anyone else who had type 'O' would have already spoken up by now, so does anyone here match Miss Lina's blood type directly?" The golden dragon asked while not so gently jabbing the younger Seyrunn princess in the right arm with a device to siphon blood with, causing her to wince.

The rest of the ragged group exchanged glances at this inquiry, all shaking their heads one by one except for a certain half drow. "Well... I **am** type '**A**' but, I'm only **half** human... Is that... will that _work_...?"

The golden dragon thought about this a second before answering. "There's no record of any such procedure being done, but this blood type indicator is designed to show types of blood that are compatible with humans; it won't register otherwise."

Practicing high priestess Archadia took this as her cue and retrieved a fresh device to test the half elf with. "...Type A." She affirmed after waiting a short while for the result to be displayed.

"There you have it." Fillia said while pulling up a chair to the opposite side of Lina's bed while gesturing to it.

As Katibree walked over to sit as instructed, the contraption next to Amelia finished it's calculations and began pulsating red before finally starting to draw blood from her arm. When the scarlet colored fluid began to make it's way down a slender, clear tube inserted into Lina's arm, Naga turned an interesting color before promptly turning to leave.

(A) "What does the glowing light here mean, Miss Fillia?" Amelia inquired as she studied the contraption she was currently attached to.

The golden dragon reached over and jabbed the other blood siphoning device into the half elf's right arm before answering. "These devices are designed to surmise how much blood the person receiving the transfer needs, and how much the person donating can safely give." She explained while checking the settings on both machines as the one hooked to Amelia stopped drawing blood and began to communicate with the one now connected to Katibree with a soft pulsating sound. "However, the safety is 'off' and the device is set to transfer all the patient needs from the source or sources available regardless. The red indicator there means that if just you were to give the amount that the device currently intends to take, you would almost surely die Miss Amelia."

"Oh, _I_ see..." The cerulean eyed girl acknowledged while looking slightly blue in the face.

The golden dragon folded her arms and tapped a foot impatiently while the contraptions calculated which volume of the precious red liquid was best to take from the sources available. "**Oh** come _**on**_, we haven't the **time** for this!" She snapped, while walking over to the unconscious sorcery genius and casting a sweeping healing spell to repair any organs that may be suffering from oxygen deprivation as had already been done several times that day during their hurried trip here.

Finally the magical device connected to Amelia began to flicker from red, to yellow, and then to green while the one attached to Katibree fluttered red before settling on yellow. Fillia frowned slightly at the indicator connected to the ex-assassin. _3 1/2 pints from one __and only 1 1/2 from the other...? I suppose that makes sense as Miss Amelia is smaller and technically underweight to be doing this at all... She has most certainly grown over the years, but.. not where it really counts in this case..._ She thought to herself, glancing over at the decidedly... 'bustier' Seyrunn princess with a slight sweat drop before speaking once more. "Miss Katibree, you'll be giving significantly more than is considered safe, and could go into shock, or worse, are you alright with this?" She asked quietly as the contraptions started back up and began to draw blood simultaneously.

"Of course." The half drow replied almost absently while reaching over with her free hand to brush a few stray fiery silver tipped locks from Lina's face and study her color in an attempt to determine whether it had gotten better or worse since their arrival, but having trouble doing so through the grime, soot, and blood.

The golden dragon took note of the half elves' actions silently, her expression softening subtly. _Even with all the lore and stories behind her ancestry, Miss Katibree does seem to be a decent person who genuinely cares for Miss Lina... But... She still makes me uneasy; I'm not sure if it's just what I know of the drow elf history or..._

Just then the three head clerics finally entered one after the other and took their place at the head of the redhead's healing bed.

Her thoughts interrupted by the lagging trio, Fillia frowned before deciding against wasting time mentioning their tardiness. "I would like a concentrated protection circle centered directly below your patient's bed along with the usual treatment." She said while still studying the half drow before her azure colored gaze shifted over to the unconscious redhead and then back to Katibree. "And isolate and remove Miss Lina's talismans before cleansing her, everything, and everyone else remaining in this room." She added for good measure.

_If I'd thought of it ahead of time, I would have just asked Miss Sylphiel to continue to hold on to Miss Lina's talismans after using them earlier, and avoid drawing attention to them; It's a little late for that now though... _Fillia thought to herself with another small sweat-drop. _Though, with the sheer amount of infractions we've already accumulated just by entering under the current circumstances that we have, I don't suppose one more strike it that big of a deal... _She finished to herself with a small wavering smile and even larger sweat-drop.

During the lull in conversation, one of the clerics took the time to speak. "Lead High Priestess, we understand the need for us to treat and monitor the patient until she is stabilized without the need for direct magical assistance, but for purification purposes, your natural cleansing ability is the most-"

The former Fire Dragon King priestess waved a hand dismissively to silence her. "I trust your prowess, I have other matters to attend to."

"Very well, then we shall report-"

"_That..._ is not necessary, treat this a Sanctum Habitude S ritual." The golden dragon interrupted once more as the remaining shrine maidens in training averted their eyes and quickly exited the room with the mention of the rank of the treatment.

Zelgadis raised a metallic eyebrow at the term and hurried exit of the priestesses in training. _What is this Sanctum Habitude S..? And why would Fillia decline a full report at the very least if she isn't putting herself in direct charge of Lina's care for whatever reason...? _He wondered while beginning to intently study Fillia's increasingly elusive demeanor.

Amelia, who had been carefully nursing her sore arm as not to disturb the device inserted in it, glanced up at the dated term. …._As in treat fully and do a sweeping purification to cleanse anything without analysis... and leaving no record? _The youngest shrine maiden finally remembered with some surprise before exchanging a quick glance with Sylphiel who had also taken note of the order with an unreadable expression on her face.

(F) "Now, all we can do is wait..." Fillia said as the sorry state of her comrades and herself really dawned on her now that she finally had a chance to slow down and think instead of just react.

All of the group with the exception of Zelgadis and Naga who was currently out in the hall, were covered in Lina's blood, be it from giving the redhead some form of medical attention and/or helping to transport her. They all had various wounds from the most recent fight, the two master swordsmen being the worst off having fought two battles back to back, the first being against one another. With all of that and the group running on emotional fumes and little to no sleep, it was nothing short of amazing that they were still able to stand under their own power.

(F) _We made it through, that's all that really matters. _The golden dragon thought to herself with a deep sigh before speaking once more. "Let's get the rest of you, cleaned, healed, and fed... I'll have food sent here as well, you'll both need it to counter your own blood loss with the siphons taking what Miss Lina requires, especially you Miss Katibree." She added to the donatees before giving the unconscious redhead one last concerned look and turning to leave while beckoning for the rest of the group to follow after her.

The rest of the gang gave the sorcery genius their last lingering looks ranging from concern to sorrow before slowly filing out of the room through the curtain to meet Fillia and Gracia out in the hall.

(G) _"Please be OK, **Lina**..." _Gourry whispered, being the last of the gang to reluctantly leave the room.

Zelgadis, Naga, and Sylphiel began to walk down down the hall, trailing behind Fillia before Sylphiel stopped and looked around her in confusion. "Where's Gourry Dear..?" She inquired.

The mystical swordsman turned to look at her along with the others, before folding his arms with a grunt while giving a slight nod of his head in the direction of the clinic that they had just left.

The eyes of everyone else followed the direction of the chimera's nod and fell on a certain blonde master swordsman who hadn't followed them at all and was currently sitting with his back up against the adjacent wall to the entrance of the healing ward, his legs crossed and head bowed with the hilt of Gorunova in his lap and his secondary two handed weapon strapped to his belt.

"Um.. Gourry Dear...?" The raven haired girl called, the acoustics of the corridor amplifying and carrying her soft spoken voice easily.

The battle tattered swordsman savant looked up at the sound of the shrine maiden's voice. "Yeah, Sylphiel?" He inquired lightly with a pleasant, almost carefree expression on his face, his red rimmed, sorrowful eyes the only thing mirroring how he really felt.

"...Well...we were going to get cleaned up and eat... Didn't you want to come along?"

"Nah, I'll be fine!" The blonde warrior piped.

Fillia lifted both golden eyebrows in genuine surprise at this. _Mr. Gourry is passing up an opportunity to __**eat**__...?_ "You do understand that you can come back to check on Miss Lina any time you please tonight, do you not Mr. Gourry...?"

(N) "Indeed, I should say that a good bath and a nice meal would do all of us some good." Gracia added with a lackadaisical and luxurious stretch.

Gourry slowly shook his head in disagreement at this before turning his head to look at the closed curtain to the healing ward once again. "I didn't even help replace any of Lina's blood, so I can just wait here and eat with her when she wakes up." He explained simply in that same light tone he always used. "You guys just go ahead!"

(S) "But, Gourry Dear, we don't know how long-"

(Z) "It's no use Sylphiel, let's just go..." The chimera interrupted, placing a gentle but firm hand on the raven haired girl's golden shoulder guard. _Punishing himself because of what has happened won't do him any good... But I'm the last one that should criticize anyone when it comes to that. _He added to himself mentally.

(N) "If the man says he doesn't want to go, then he doesn't want to go." Gracia agreed with a shrug.

(F) "...Suit yourself then, Mr. Gourry." The golden dragon priestess sighed before spinning on her heels once more and leading the rest of the group away again, Sylphiel hesitating before Zelgadis took her by the arm, prompting her to reluctantly follow as well.

The blonde haired warrior looked after them a short moment as they turned the corner, touching the blood streaks on his left cheek before once again turning his full attention to the curtained entrance of the healing ward.

**Meanwhile back inside the ward...**

The Seyrunn princess and mostly platinum haired warrior sat in silence as they looked at first each other, and then the trio of stuffy looking high priestesses now bustling around and performing various tasks. The first having cleansed Lina, began a greater protection spell beneath her bed, the second went about systematically cleansing the room, and the third began to remove one ruined article of the sorcery genius's clothing after another, cutting what little was left of the stiff, blood soaked fabric where necessary.

(A) "This is a real mess isn't it Miss Katibree?" An exhausted looking Amelia eventually asked.

"Yes it is, I really screwed up big time." Katibree lifted her magenta colored eyes from Lina to look at the cerulean eyed girl and reply quietly.

"Try not to be so hard on yourself Miss Katibree, what happened really was terrible, but it's not like you and Mr. Gourry wanted all this stuff to happen..." The Seyrunn princess said as the third high priestess who had been avoiding the talismans up until this point, finally removed them with a disapproving look on her face before placing them in a containment box with obvious displeasure.

"True, but I didn't do much to try and prevent it either." The half elf replied as the first high priestess finished the protection spell and began to help the second with the purification of the room and it's occupants. "I probably could have talked Gourry down, but I lost my temper and egged him on instead."

"Probably doesn't mean definitely though; Mr Gourry may have felt strongly enough to fight you regardless of what was said in the end." The shrine maiden said while closing her cerulean colored eyes as one of the stuffy women placed a hand on her head and said a prayer before starting the chant to cleanse her.

"Good point." The half drow admitted, flinching uncomfortably as the original high priestess that first began the cleansing of the room came over and placed a hand on her head as well, starting her own prayer.

"You know... even though this whole ordeal was pretty awful, it's actually kind of romantic too..." Amelia mused with her eyes still closed.

"Romantic." Katibree repeated doubtfully before glancing back with some irritation as the priestess behind her applied more pressure to the top of her head.

"At least _I_ think so... it's a love triangle of **epic** proportions...!" The younger girl needed no more encouragement to begin to explain vigorously. "Two **dashing** warrior's fighting for the hand of the woman they _love_ in a righteous battle of the **heart**!" She continued while clenching and raising her free hand with growing passion as the priestess behind her finished her own cleansing spell.

"'Righteous battle of the _heart_'? Surely you _jest_ Princess Amelia..." The half drow deadpanned with a sweat-drop as the stuffy woman behind her faulted in annoyance and then with both hands tried the failed cleansing spell once more.

"Three **pulses** thudding as _**one**_ during the heat of **battle** throughout the **night**...!" Amelia continued uninterrupted while standing and opening her star filled eyes and gesturing with her tube free arm toward the heavens.

"I... you can_not_ be **serious**." Katibree rebutted with a small stress mark that only grew as the woman behind her applied even more pressure to the top of her head with a stress mark of her own and the high priestess who was finished with Amelia came over to help. "It was just a stupid fight that should never have _started_ in the first pl-."

"**Oh** _**no**_, what will the torn heroine **do**...?" The Seyrunn princess ignored the ex-assassin's justice-speech-derailment attempt to ask the sky, striking another dramatic pose as she slowly took a knee beside her chair with her hands clasped, crocodile tears beginning to well up in her cerulean colored eyes. "Surely _**justice**_ will **prevail**..!"

"**Justice**." The ex-assassin groaned as she slapped a hand to her face. _"Didn't see that coming..."_ She added while gaining another stress mark as yet another palm was smacked against the back of her head in a joint effort to purify her.

The cerulean eyed girl continued her impromptu drama while shaking her head in feigned anguish as Katibree almost audibly gritted her teeth with growing irritation. "But **wait** my gallant knights; you _**mustn't**_ cross **blades** over me, for my **heart**-!"

The half drow, finally having heard enough, stood abruptly; startling the high priestess's behind her just as they finished the joint effort cleansing spell. "**Eee**-_**nough**_ already!" She exclaimed in exasperation while the tube inserted in her arm bobbling wildly from the sudden movement. The clerics, who were both out of breath and perspiring lightly looked at each other and then at the ex-assassin with bewilderment that slowly turned to suspicion.

Amelia descended into a fit of the giggles and then outright laughter at this, the lighthearted, tinkling sound disbursing Katibree's irritation and causing her to stifle a laugh of her own while shaking her head in disbelief.

After getting over her laughing fit, the Seyrunn princess noticed the two high priestesses still standing behind the half drow and studying her with dubious expressions on their faces. "Well I'll bet they're glad that's finally over." She observed.

The oblivious ex-assassin looked back at the priestesses behind her questioningly at this.

"Well I've read that elves can be pretty resistant to magic, and this is probably their first time treating one is all." The shrine maiden explained with an innocent little shrug.

_Is... Princess Seyrunn... covering for me...? _Katibree wondered to herself as she registered the growing suspicion on the stuffy woman's faces and seamlessly followed the younger girl's cue. "Well I really don't know much about all that, as I was raised by humans... But considering you're the crowned princess of the most prestigious white magic capital in the known world, I feel fairly comfortable taking your word for it..."

The duo looked over to the shrine maiden and then down to the royal crest which 'just so happened' to be in plain sight now, before bowing hurriedly and then going about finishing their task of cleansing the rest of the room.

"_Uh... thanks..."_ The ex-assassin said quietly, averting her lavender colored eyes sheepishly once the two were out of ear shot as she sat back down. _What is her deal...? How much has she figured out or put together? Both she and Naga are so damn hard to __**read**__ sometimes..._

Amelia took her seat as well, propping her head up in a hand and supported it with an elbow on the edge of Lina's bed, a small nod and knowing little smile her only response as the last high priestess who had finished her task of isolating the demons blood talismans returned to once more work on Lina.

"...You and Naga are pretty... eccentric, you know that?" The mostly platinum haired warrior said while the stuffy woman went about the task of removing the rest of the sorcery genius's clothing, leaving her stark naked but still covered from head to toe in grime, blood, and soot.

"Oh, do you really think so...?" The Seyrunn princess implored lightly with her elbow still propped up on the bed between them, her cerulean eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yes, and that father of yours as well..." The ex-assassin added while bristling a bit as she got the feeling that she was being toyed with in some way and fidgeting slightly under the younger girl's gaze.

"What do you mean by that exactly, Miss Katibree..?"

"Come on now, you guys are so over the top about everything-" Katibree began to accuse before cutting off what she was saying as a flash of pale blue light flooded the room with the Bathe spell the Head Cleric had just cast on Lina.

The eyes of both girl's were reflexively drawn to the recipient of the spell who's magically cleaned, now flawless skin shimmered a moment and faded back to it's normal sheen.

Amelia quickly averted her eyes once she realized she had been staring and Katibree's eyes lingered a short while longer before catching herself and averting her eyes as well. "She's... she's looking much healthier now which is a relief." The ex-assassin noted stiffly.

"Mhum, Miss Lina is finally getting some color back in her cheeks." Amelia agreed while the stuffy woman began to slowly examine every portion of the redhead's body inch by inch.

_Red would be mortified to have some complete stranger just groping at her like this..._ The half drow thought to herself while watching the priestess first lift one of the sorceresses' arms, moving the joints to test the range of motion before checking the armpit and then the breast, lifting it to check underneath. "Is that all really necessary...? She finally asked.

The Seyrunn princess nodded while still averting her eyes. "It's standard procedure, I've done it countless times."

"You've done all of this before from start to finish...?"

"Well, I'm not familiar with the spell that was just used... But the rest of this is part of several practices that I have to be proficient at in preparation to claim the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Seyrunn."

"Alright, then would you say that Lina is in the clear now...?"

"...Well technically yes, she's fully healed physically, and is finally starting to get enough blood to function properly internally now... But it's still completely up to her to recover from any spiritual and mental damage she may have suffered."

"Well that settles it then." Katibree decided. "Thank you for all your assistance, but your services will no longer be required clerics."

"But this is not what was discussed-" The High priestess stopped her examination of Lina to protest while the other two who had finished up the last of the room cleansing approached as well.

The half elf merely gave a nonchalant shrug at the rebuttal. "You all know who Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyrunn is, would you insult her by implying she doesn't have the prowess to finish this simple examination unaided?"

The stuffy trio first sputtered at this and then turned and discussed it amongst themselves before finally conceding with a bow in unison and leaving.

The younger girl looked at the half elf questioningly as the trio left.

"Lina, would definitely want someone she trusts to do this instead of some complete stranger." Katibree replied to the silent question.

"...Are...you sure Miss Katibree?" The 2nd crowned princess asked uneasily. _I wonder if Miss Lina ever mentioned the incident at that Inn to her?_

"Red trusts you unconditionally right?"

"Well yes, we both trust each other that way."

"Then I'm sure."

_Well... even if Miss Lina did tell her, it's not like anything really happened between us, or like I even knew they were together at the time.. right? _"...Alright." She finally agreed before tentatively picking up where the cleric had left off in the examination. "So...um..." The Seyrunn princess began in an attempt to break what she felt was awkward silence between the two them. "Miss Katibree...?"

"Hum...?"

"Can you tell me how you came up with the nickname 'Red" for Miss Lina now...?"

_Why does everyone always get so stuck on this...? _The half elf groaned to herself mentally before trying to avoid fully answering the question for what seemed like the thousandth time. "...Haven't we already been over that?"

"Well you did say it was based on the color of her hair... but I can't help but think there's something more to it..." The cerulean eyed girl prodded while examining the ribs of the sorcery genius.

"'Something more' huh?" The half drow inquired wryly.

"Yes, I mean, for one thing... Miss Lina get's all flustered when anyone else calls her it but you, Miss Katibree... And I just don't see why she would get so embarrassed if the nickname was only in reference to the color of her hair..." Amelia continued to muse more to herself than the mostly platinum haired warrior as she lifted the leg closest to her, straightening it and then bending it several times to test the knee joint for proper range of motion.

"I'm not lying about the origin of the nickname, Princess Amelia... it honestly was inspired by the color of her hair, so just let up on it already." The mostly platinum haired warrior reiterated with a quiet chuckle.

"I don't doubt that you're telling the truth, Miss Katibree..." The shrine maiden persisted while carefully moving Lina's ankle through it's full range of motions before setting the leg down and reaching for the other. "But at the same time, you still seem pretty elusive about the subject... and Miss Lina just avoids talking about it all together." She said while leaning over the sorcery genius and lifting her other leg to examine it as well, searching the inner part of the leg for any missed wounds or marks first starting at the ankle, then moving up to the lower leg, and finally all the way up to the inner thigh as she spoke. "Just at least admit that there's something more to it...i...ih...heh-he..." She finished oddly as her face began to heat up.

Katibree studied the smaller girl with an amused expression.

"I guess that explains things then..." Amelia finally managed while averting her cerulean colored eyes from the unexpected clue with an embarrassed little giggle.

"Ready to drop it now Princess?" The half elf confirmed with a smirk.

The shrine maiden laughed while rubbing the back of her neck in response before clearing her throat and changing the subject as she went back to the exam. "Anyway, how long have... you and Miss Lina... been...?"

"Seeing each other..?" The ex-assassin offered.

"Yeah..." The smaller girl agreed while rolling Lina partially on her side toward the half drow. "Could you give me a quick hand here?" She added while beginning the exam of the sorcery genius' back.

"Sure." Katibree said while standing and placing either hand on the redhead's shoulder and hip to keep her steady while Amelia worked. "We'll be coming up on six months here in a few days... why do you ask?" She added, rocking back on her heels slightly and hurriedly regaining her balance a sudden wave of dizziness hit her.

"Just curious I guess..." The Seyrunn princess answered somewhat absently while squinting at what seemed to be a blemish before deducting the coloration to be normal and moving on.

After some serious hair traffic directing, the cerulean eyed girl finished the examination of Lina's upper back and neck before peeking up with another question. "So.. how did it all... _start_ then?"

Katibree raised a mostly platinum colored eyebrow at this. "How did all of _what_ start?"

"Um... well, Miss Lina may be a genius when it comes to magic, but she's pretty clueless when it comes to her own feelings." Amelia carefully explained while beginning to ease the redhead down and onto her back once more. "Or at least she was..."

"Yeah, that's for sure." The ex-assassin agreed wryly while gratefully taking her seat once more as her limbs began to feel heavier.

"So how did you ask her out without her freaking and frying you with a Fireball or something?" Amelia persisted while stifling a quiet giggle at the thought.

"Oh, she asked me out actually." The half elf answered with a slight shrug before leaning back in her chair.

"She _**what**_?" The younger girl exclaimed in disbelief. _Since when did Miss Lina become so forward about stuff like __**that**__? _She wondered to herself in genuine shock. "...You're saying ...Miss Lina just asked you out one day out of **nowhere**...?" The shrine maiden added with growing skepticism and lowering eyelids. _That doesn't seem right, Miss Katibree is definitely leaving key details out again..._

"It was all her, but... I wouldn't say it was out of _nowhere_..." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied, a small sweat-drop appearing as she observed the shrine maiden's change in expression.

"...Do you ever give straight answers about _anything_ Miss Katibree?" Amelia asked, scrutinizing the half elf with her eyelids still lowered a moment more before beginning to go through the tedious process of checking Lina's scalp through the thick fiery mane for anything unusual. _The tips of her hair are regaining their color very quickly, but if anything I'd say that's a good thing. _She noted mentally before shooting the half drow a sullen look.

"...Well how do you **expect** me to answer?" Katibree finally broke the silence to say with a laugh. "_You_ try dating someone with a temper and firepower combination like hers and let's see how liberal _you_ get with potentially sensitive information!"

It was Amelia's turn to sweat-drop now. "OK, OK I see your point... Well... how about a question based on something... that's already known...?"

"...That depends..." The half elf replied slowly, suspicious of the surprisingly shrewd girl's wording. "What's the question?"

"Well... did she ask you out before or after... you two...?" The cerulean eyed girl began before trailing off.

"'We two what...?" The ex-assassin asked while narrowing her lavender colored eyes with even more suspicion.

Having finished Lina's stabilized patient check up, the Seyrunn princess reached for a blanket at the foot of Lina's bed and spread it over the redhead while thinking of the best way to clarify what she was asking as tactfully as possible. "Before or after...you two...you _know_... the astral plane incident...?"

Katibree looked across the medical bed at her cynically at this.

"Oh come on, _pleeeeease_...?" The younger girl leaned forward to ask again.

The half drow leaned back on the rear two legs of her chair and rubbed a temple in an attempt to fend off a creeping headache. "You're nearly as depraved as your older sister on this subject, you know that?"

"... I won't tell anyone you told me, I promise...!" Amelia ignored the quip to try again while clasping her hands together for more effect.

The ex-assassin rolled her lavender colored eyes before finally resettling them on a large and expectant set of cerulean ones and finally sighing in defeat. "...Before." She finally answered while shaking her head with a tired little smile.

"..._No way_!" The shrine maiden gasped while clasping a hand over her mouth conspiratorially.

"Way." The half elf replied with a quiet chuckle into the hand now over her face.

"Well then, how did it happen?"

"What do you mean 'How'd it happen'? It just... did..." The mostly platinum haired warrior replied while averting her eyes and rubbing the back of her neck. "Why are you so interested anyway?"

"I-I just have trouble imagining Miss Lina like that is all I guess..." The youngest crowned Seyrunn princess tried to explain with a creeping blush.

"Oh, so you've tried imagining Lina like that **before**...?" The half drow raised an eyebrow to tease.

Amelia balked at this with a shocked expression on her face. "That's...!" She began to sputter as the blush made the rest of it's way across her petite features. "That's not what I meant, Miss Katibree...!" She finally managed while holding out her hands in a warding gesture.

Unable to help herself, Katibree then clasped her hands together and widened her eyes innocently. "Oh Miss Lina we _mustn't_!" She exclaimed with her best Amelia impression as she placed a hand to her forehead with the palm out. "A maiden touching another in such a way is surely _inappropriate_...!"

The shrine maiden tried to object further, but the half elf's words were materializing as images in her swimming mind and her blush became a full body one. "No y- I-I didn't...But...!" Was all the overwhelmed younger girl managed to hyperventilate before her eyes became swirls and she slumped back in her chair with steam rising from the top of her head.

The ex-assassin doubled over with laughter at this. "Oh relax Princess Seyrunn, I was just kidding!" She finally managed to stop laughing enough to say.

"_That wasn't __**fair**__ Miss Katibree..."_ The cerulean eyed girl sulked from the same slumped position in her chair as the food that Fillia had ordered brought to them finally arrived.

**Meanwhile in the lowest level of the holy temple...**

Zelgadis stepped out of the changing area of the underground hot springs with a towel wrapped around his waist and carrying a bucket of bathing supplies. After taking in the archaic architecture of the expansive deserted area a moment, he walked to a comfortable looking spot he'd picked out.

_It was nice of Fillia to clear and designate this area since there is no assigned place for men to bathe in the temple... Or do anything else for that matter._ The mystical swordsman mused while setting down the bucket beside him. He then looked around self consciously one last time and removed his towel before slowly lowering his stoney, well muscled frame into the water up to his stomach.

"Ahhh... Gourry's missing out, too bad." He sighed as the steaming water began to work on his fatigued muscles. _I can understand the guy wanting some time alone though,it's __been a rough night for everyone. Refusing a meal however... That's certainly a new one. Knowing Sylphiel, she'll try and bring him something to eat while he waits, I doubt he'll except though. _The chimera continued, closing his steel blue eyes while easing back against the lip of the spring and settling on the carved seat there while clasping his fingers behind his neck. _I always assumed he was pretty uncomplicated, but I guess I was mistaken, at least where matters of love go I suppose. Still... Finding Katibree in the woods and confronting her like he did after the fact never would have struck me as something he would do; let alone provoking a fight with her that turned out to be so serious._

_They were definitely going to try and kill one another, Lina was spot on about that._

_And speaking of Lina, I thought I had her pretty much figured out as well after all these years; food, gold, magic, violence... more food... _The mystical swordsman laughed quietly at this while sliding down toward the edge of the ledge he was sitting on and further into the springs until the waterline was nearly up to his stoney chin. _But it seems __I'm seeing new sides of her everyday as well since we've all begun traveling together again; the unexpected way she went about 'handling' the fight between Gourry and Katibree being the most recent. _He continued to himself while lifting an arm out of the steaming water with a slosh to run his fingers through his wiry hair in bemusement.

_I still say that what she did was stupid, but... at the same time it was... almost __**noble**__... in a twisted sort of way._

"So does that mean that she's so reckless and idiotic that it makes her actions indistinguishable from selfless and noble acts at times...?" Zelgadis pondered aloud with a quiet chuckle. "I'd pitch the question at her once she woke up, but I'm afraid she'd find a way to spin it into a compliment."

(?) "She most certainly would, Lina was never the type to pass up to chance to bloat that overbearing ego of hers even further." A voice approaching from the left of him agreed.

"Well, she does have quite the opinion of hersel-" The chimera began to reply back before his eyes flew open and he jumped up with a large splash, nearly slipping and falling while flailing his arms wildly in an attempt to keep his balance. "**G**-_**Gra**_-!?" The chimera stammered in shock and dismay as he regained his footing before faltering as he noticed where the dark haired vixen's ice blue line of sight had settled.

"...Not bad." Gracia stopped and raised a single dark and slender eyebrow to note wryly.

The chimera quickly covered the area of interest with both hands while blushing vividly at the unwelcome observation. "_**Naga**_, what the **hell** are you _**doing**_ here?! Fillia had this area _cleared_ and _isolated_ for a _**reason**_!"

The ice sorceresses flipped her dark tresses, seemingly oblivious of the young man's anger as she approached once more while removing her own towel to reveal the bikini underneath. "Why yes, to keep the temple maidens out, she was very clear about that." She agreed vigorously as she made it to the lip of the springs and lowered her ample form into the steaming water next to the bucket of bathing supplies and Zelgadis' towel. "Even a _golden dragon_ understands that someone of **Naga The Serpent's** stature will settle for no less than the _best_ when it comes to bathing; and these holy hot springs are almost as close to the best as one can get." She added as she began to rummage through the supplies in her newly acquired wash bucket.

"It seems you are missing the _**point**_." Zelgadis fumed while doing his best to keep himself covered with one hand and moving toward his towel as he reached for it with his now free hand.

Naga smirked and touched a fingertip to the towel before the mystical swordsman could reach it, encasing it in ice and freezing it to the stone floor below. "Whatever 'point' you may have been referring to really isn't my concern; but since we're both here, we may as well have a little chat."

The chimera blinked at the frozen towel with disbelief before withdrawing his extended hand to place it back on top of the other while turning his head to glower at the ice sorceress wordlessly.

"You could always try a fire spell I suppose, although I doubt the keepers of this particular temple of Cepheid would appreciate any potential fire damage it may cause to this holy place..." Gracia offered while resting an arm over the lip of the hot-spring with a knowing little smile. "Especially considering that you even being inside the temple in the first place in itself quite the no-no." She continued while crossing one long shapely leg over the other beneath the swirling, steaming water. "Or... You could go and get the towel I came in with..."

_Did she plan this to trap me here? _The mystical swordsman wondered as his eyes flicked over to the towel that the sorceress had let drop several yards away in the middle of the cobble stoned area before returning his steel blue gaze to her and scowling. "Or you could do the decent thing and retrieve the towel _**for**_ me instead of turning this into some sort of **stupid** _**game**_."

"Naga the Serpent does not play games my stoney blue friend, as I've already told you all I want to do is chat." The dark haired vixen reiterated with a small shrug. "Indulge me in a bit of conversation and you won't need a towel; I'll leave and you can enjoy the rest of your bath in peace." She added lightly while beginning to put the luffa that she'd dug out of the bathing supplies to work on her smooth skin.

"Then **what** do you _**want**_?" The blue warrior snapped with growing agitation.

Naga gestured for him to have a seat in response.

Zelgadis looked away and a growl of anger escaped his throat before he sat / plopped down onto one of the springs seats with a loud slosh, his hands never moving from their protective positions. "_Ok_, I'll ask **again**. What. Do. You. _**Want**_..._Gracia_?"

"What I _want_..." The ice sorceress began to answer before trailing off to lean toward the chimera and further emphasize her point, all humor having gone from her face. "...Is for you to tell me what your _intentions_ are toward my baby **sister**."

"Your uh... You mean A-Amelia...? Well...I-I...Uh..." The chimera managed oh-so-eloquently.

"She seems quite taken with you 'Mr. Zelgadis', so I sincerely hope that I approve of your answer." Gracia prodded with a decidedly disquieting smile forming on her lips.

The heartless mystical swordsman swallowed visibly at this.

**Meanwhile, in the private quarters area...**

Fillia leaned over a large, shallow pan of water with the image of a completely different room showing on the reflective surface. She licked her lips nervously before speaking into it once more.

"Hello...? Miss Luna, are you there...?" The golden dragon implored more loudly. _This __is definitely the point that Miss Luna said to tether the communication spell to, I wouldn't be able to see anything otherwise... I guess she's just not available right now. _She thought with a deep and somewhat relieved sigh while removing her headdress and setting it aside. "I suppose that it may be for the best anyway, I really wasn't looking forward to trying to explain this entire mess..."

"I'm here, Fillia." The Cepheid Knight's voice called, causing the former Fire Dragon King priestess to jerk with a start as the purple haired woman strode into view.

"Oh _there_ you are Miss Luna..." The blonde haired girl said with an uneasy giggle. "I'd almost given up on trying to contact you for now."

A weary looking Luna sat down heavily in front of the projected image of Fillia with a clank of her holy plate mail and then ran an intricately engraved armored gauntlet through her shoulder length hair with a quiet sigh. "I've just returned from checking out a lead."

"Oh? H-How did it-?"

"I overheard what you were saying when I came in so there's no need for small talk." The Cepheid Knight interrupted while raising her piercing ruby colored eyes and gazing at the golden dragon through her low hanging bangs. "...So what has my kid sister done _now_?"

"Well, I'm not really contacting you for what you're probably expecting exactly." Fillia began to explain with her eyes closed while sweat-dropping. "There's ahh... there has been an... _accident_, Miss Luna; but don't **worry**, your sister has been stabilized and-"

"_Stabilized_?" Luna repeated while raising out of her chair slightly. "What _kind_ of accident? What _happened_?

"It's a long story Miss Luna, but Miss Lina has gotten the treatment she needs and is alright for the most part now." The golden dragon quickly explained with what she hoped was a calming gesture. "She is recovering I assure you, and I did want to update you on her condition, but it isn't the only reason I've contacted you. I've broken quite a few rules and overstepped my bounds tremendously admitting your sister here on such short... Well _no_ notice, actually... and under the circumstances I need to try and make sure that there are as few complications as possible should the high council get wind of- -"

"I'll make sure that Lina's recovery isn't disturbed and have the infractions waived, yes-I-understand." The Cepheid Knight interjected impatiently. "Now _tell_ me what happened to my little _sister_." She repeated, leaning even closer to the communication image and giving the golden dragon a meaningful look.

"Yes... of course Miss Luna." Fillia agreed with a growing sweat-drop. _How am I supposed to pull this one off? I don't even know what Miss Lina cares about Miss Luna knowing and what she doesn't... Well I have to say __**something**__... _"There was a... a 'conflict' of a sort between two of her... er...'comrades' that she... um, got caught in the middle of?" She tried awkwardly while rubbing the back of her neck and averting her azure colored eyes.

Luna gave the blonde haired girl a quizzical look, but remained silent while prompting for her to continue.

(F)_** Ooohwn**, I **really** HATE **this**!_

**Two and a half days later...**

Lina's eyelids fluttered briefly before her ruby colored eyes slowly opened in the dimly lit room. _Where... __**am**__ I...? What __**happened**__? _She thought groggily while blinking as she slowly adjusted to the darkness and the cloud of disorientation hindering her mind began to disperse. ..._That's __**right**__...there was the fight between Kat and Gourry; I couldn't get them to stop, so I put up a few barriers, reinforced them and... _The redhead remembered before trailing off and squeezing her eyes shut with a slight wince. _Urgh, my head is... __**buzzing**__... what __**is**__ that...? So hard to concentrate... _She thought while reflexively bringing a hand up to her head, but stopping when the hand met with resistance.

_I'm hooked up to something? Yeah... Jumping between those attacks, the barriers got shredded, and then there was that explosion..._ The sorcery genius continued to recall while running a hand over the wires and tubes inserted into the back of her hands and arms absently. _Next thing I know, I'm on the ground looking up at Katibree and Gourry and then... I guess I passed out. _

_I must have been taken to this healing station after all that...And judging by the quality of the gadgets and magical devices attached to me and scattered around here, I'm most likely back at the temple. _She deducted while sitting up with a quiet grunt and beginning to fidget with one of the IV's. _It's the only place close enough by that counts as an honest to goodness hospital with access to all this cutting edge stuff._

_Ok, so where's __**Kat**__? Where's __**Gourry**__? Are they __**alright**__? If I was hurt badly enough... because of where I am, Gourry may not have had a __**choice**__;__ but I really don't see __Katibree willingly leaving my side. _She thought to herself while trying to work a slender tube out of the back of her hand with a wince.

_And where's the __**rest**__ of the gang? Back at the inn I left Zelgadis in full freak-out mode, I don't even know what I __**said**__ to him, it's all a blur... Does __**everyone**__ know what happened? How long have I been __**asleep**__? _As the redhead's mind continued to clear and the questions she had piled up, she grew impatient and ignoring the pain, began to yank the various tubes and attachments clear of her to get them out of the way.

The equipment around her began to quietly whir and blip as she worked out the last tube and then pulled the blanket that had been draped over her off to the side. "...Ok...Definitely gonna need my **clothes**." The sorceress said out loud, ignoring the slow oozing wounds from the IV sites for the moment as she noticed the flimsy gown she had on before swinging her legs over the right side of the large treatment bed to hop down from it.

"R...Red?" A groggy sounding voice called hesitantly from the floor at the foot of the bed.

Lina looked over her shoulder in the direction that the rough but familiar sounding voice had come from and hesitated slightly herself before responding. "...Kat?"

From her position on the floor, Katibree hurriedly half stood, half pulled herself up by grasping a corner of the medical bed, toppling over and onto it face first in her haste to get up. Not bothering to try and right herself, she looked up from where she was, staring at the newly conscious redhead a long moment as if in a daze before clearing her throat quietly. "You're... awake." She finally managed.

"Yeah, but are _you_?" The sorcery genius giggled after swinging her legs back onto the bed while turning to face the half drow with a amused but affectionate smirk.

The ex-assassin's expression melted into one of warmth at the playful quip. "I hope so." She admitted as she picked herself up to crawl the rest of the way onto the healing bed and toward the redhead.

"Wow, you look like crap babe... I've heard of bed hair... but floor hair...?" The sorceress joked.

"Yeah? Try a mirror yourself!" The mostly platinum haired warrior joked back before she noticed the wounds on the backs of the sorcery genius's hands and arms and grew more serious. "Come here, let me see." She said, taking one of the younger girl's hands and cupping her own over it.

"Oh this? It's not a biggie, there's barely any bleeding at all see?" The redhead chirped while displaying her free arm before trailing off with some surprise as a soft white light illuminated the dim room. "...How long have you... known how to do that?"

Katibree frowned slightly at the question as she looked over Lina's limb before switching her attention to the other one. "Let's just say I've found that willful ignorance is a luxury that can no longer be afforded recently." She finally replied with a small sigh.

"Just recently huh?" The sorcery genius acknowledged quietly while taking note of the change in the half elf's facial expression." _If I wound up here, I was in pretty rough shape after I broke up the fight... So Kat and Gourry were stranded in the middle of that forest clearing without the ability to cast even the lowest level healing spell on me... Yeah, I could see that counting as wake up call material._ "So how long have I been out?" She decided to change the subject and ask as she watched the older girl finish healing the last of the IV wounds.

"Over two days, you were working on 3." The mostly platinum haired warrior answered while looking over her work.

"So like 2 ½ days huh?" Lina mused while rubbing the back of her neck with the hand not currently being examined.

"That sounds right." The half elf agreed with a tired little nod. "How does that feel? I haven't had much of a chance to practice."

"All better, you did a great job Kat..." The redhead complimented before a perplexed look washed across her petite features. "...But what type of healing spell are you using? Is it... modified or something?" She added while rubbing the back of a hand.

The mostly platinum haired warrior furrowed her brow in confusion at the question. "No, it's just standard as far as I know... why do you ask?"

Lina continued to examine her hands a long moment before rubbing the side of her neck while looking up at the ceiling as she tried to explain. "I don't know... Maybe it's not even the spell, I just feel... weird in general I guess."

Katibree's frown deepened in concern at the explanation. "Weird is a pretty vague statement, is it a bad weird?" She asked while placing a hand on the side of the smaller girl's face and then moving it to her forehead to see if she had a fever. "Should I call someone?"

"No, don't make that face babe, it's fine." The sorcery genius dismissed while giving the half elf's hand a light swat. "I'm fine." She reiterated while reaching up and giving the larger girl's unruly hair a playful tussle.

"You're sure." The mostly platinum haired warrior prodded, her expression remaining serious.

"Yes... yes, I'm ok so quit worrying alread - - _Hawh_!" The sorceress suddenly gasped while doubling over with her arms pressed to her abdomen.

"W-what's _wrong_?" The ex-assassin blurted while leaning forward and placing a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

Lina merely grimaced and slowly toppled over on her side while curling up into the fetal position with another quiet gasp.

"Hey you've got to **talk** to me, Red..." Katibree said while leaning even further over the sorceress to get a better view of her face. "What do you _need_?"

The younger girl looked up at this question, taking a moment before answering in a voice that was nearly a whisper. "_Well it has been nearly three days, and it looks like whatever those tubes were giving me has worn off... so a 50 or so course meal would be... a great start eh heh-heh._" She managed, sitting back up and breaking into a good humored grin before her stomach growled loudly and she grimaced again slightly while squeezing an eye shut.

The half elf stared in surprise a long moment and then dropped her head with relief, beginning to chuckle. The quiet laughter continued, growing in volume as she clasped a hand over her face before cutting off abruptly with a strangled sounding noise.

The redhead's grin faltered partially at the odd sound. "Uhm, hey...?" She asked while ducking down to try and get a look at the older girl's face which was partially concealed by the older girl's hair. "I know I'm hilarious and all, but..." The sorceress began to joke before trailing off at the sound of quiet sobbing and the last of her smile faded all together. _Is she...crying? _"H-Ahh...Did I say something wrong..?" She asked with a crestfallen expression.

"_No... I'm just- - I'm just glad you're alright." _The ex-assassin answered in a whisper while choking back another sob.

"Y-yeah... of course I am babe..." Lina said while lifting a hand and then just letting it drop back into her lap at a total loss of what to do or say. "You don't have to worry, I told you, I'm fine..."

"_Yes you are, but that's no thanks to me." _Katibree replied in a barely audible and broken voice, her hand never leaving her face.

"Is... that what this is all about?" The redhead asked with a small frown while still stooping from where she sat in an attempt to get a better look at the half elf's face. "Kat, what _happened_ wasn't your _fault_, and besides, everything worked out in the end so it's not really that big a _deal_..." She added more gently while brushing away some of the older girl's mostly platinum colored mane currently helping to hide her face. _"Hey, can you look at me?"_

The half drow snapped her head up and locked eyes with the sorcery genius at this, her lavender eyes streaming with tears and her face flushed from the crying. "Not my **fault**? Not that big a **deal**? You nearly _**died**_ because of _me _Lina!" She exclaimed with a guilt stricken expression before dropping her head with shame and covering face again with both hands.

The sorcery genius shook her head in disagreement and reached for the ex-assassin's hands, slowly guiding them down and away from her face. "What I meant by that was, it's in the past and nothing can be done to change it; And as much as anyone can try to pin the blame on any one person, it's just not that _simple_." She explained while placing the older girl's hands on the bed between the two of them with her own enveloping them warmly. "I mean, I decided not to tell Gourry about us when I had all those chances right? Then Xellos decided to do it for me, and then Gourry decided to confront you, and then you decided not to back down...so there was a fight. So the way I see it... it was just my turn to make another decision."

Katibree forced herself to lift her eyes and meet the uncharacteristicly tranquil ruby colored gaze across from her again. "Of _all_ the times to have a cool head about somethin- -A-aren't you pissed you even had to make that last choice to begin with?" She couldn't help but ask in frustration.

"Why would I be?"

"It's more like why the hell wouldn't you be...!?"

Lina just smiled while scooting closer and embraced the older girl, placing the half elf's head against her chest. After staying that way a long moment with the ex-assassin's ear pressed firmly to her breast, the redhead spoke once more. _"...What do you hear?" _She whispered.

The half elf closed her eyes and listened a moment before answering as one last tear slid down her cheek. _"...Your... heartbeat."_

"_Yeah..." _The redhead agreed while settling her chin on the top of the older girl's head and placing a hand over the mostly platinum haired warrior's heart as well. _"And someone told me quite awhile ago... that's all that really matters."_

Out in the hall, Fillia, who had come down from her quarters to check on Lina, peered through a small opening in the curtain that she held slightly askew. The golden dragon watched the tender scene a while longer before allowing the newly reunited couple their privacy once more, smiling as she let the curtain fall back into place and tiptoeing away to her quarters while wiping away a tear of her own with a sniff.

**Authors note**: OMG this is such a long chapter and I am sooo sorry for that. I couldn't find a way to cut it in two that I was satisfied with. One inspiration of many for this chapter is "Hold My Breath" by Ellie Goulding. Thanks for waiting and thanks for reading.


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